All Year Round
by Sundown
Summary: Secrets, surprises, life altering offers, restirring of buried feelings and shocking news about old flames. Throw in new romances, fights and coffee, and Will, Grace, Jack and Karen have themselves a bumpy year ahead![part WJ][COMPLETE!]
1. Prologue

Hope you guys like this. Please review if in the mood :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, they belong to fantastic writers and creators of Will & Grace.

* * *

_Are you going to live your life wondering  
standing in the back, looking around?  
Are you going to waste your time thinking  
how you've grown up  
how you missed out?  
Things are never going be the way you want  
where's it going to get you acting serious?  
Things are never going to be quite what you want  
even at twenty five you got to start sometime_

_-A Praise Chorus_

_Jimmy Eat World_


	2. Deck the Malls With Bows and Money

.The snow was lightly falling outside as every window of every shop glowed with the radiance of Christmas. A combination of various Christmas carols blared out from each shop, and each different busker or group of carolers, creating a distorted noise of bells and jolly tunes. Toy shop windows had the mandatory children's faces of excitement and their gloved hands pressed against them. Will and Grace strolled down the street slowly together.

"I'm Jewish…why am I even coming with you to buy your presents? God, I hate Christmas! " Scoffed Grace, warming her hands with the coffee she held.

Will took a deep breath in before sighing while replying with "No you don't. You _love _Christmas. You're using it as an excuse to get away from your family, and the fact that you are single."

"So not true! We are currently on our merry little way to the mall to buy presents now, aren't we, elf?"

"Only because I lured you out of bed with the offer of shouting you a coffee and lunch… funny thing is, that's all you need to be offered to be lured _into_ bed as well."

Grace hit him, making him wince slightly with the strength of the blow.

"You have your list" she said. "So all we have to do is get in and out of there, right?"

"Right. No stopping. Not for coffee, pretty clothes or the lycra induced performances on the stage. This year, it should only take us approximately one hour, if all goes correctly to plan and schedule." Will sternly answered as they dodged the traffic to cross the road.

"Yes m'am"

The doors of the mall automatically opened, allowing the two friends entry into a colourful, rushed and chaotic environment.

* * *

"Karen, Santa is obviously gay, I mean what self respecting straight man wears red velvet with a soft fur trimming?" Jack argued as his fingers designed the large blue bow that he was tying around his current project – Will's present. 

"I always thought that he was married?" Karen responded, looking up from her magazine inquisitively.

"No. Oh how wrong we are. That's what he wants us to believe, but in reality, he just lives with her in a sick Will and Grace Style relationship"

"Oh, you know what? That makes a lot of sense now that you mention it. I can see a lot of similarities between the two. Bad fashion and attraction to short people being the main ones."

"Santa would be the ultimate sugar-daddy…think about it Kare…all types of toys, all year round!"

Jack and Karen both looked into the distance, smiles on their faces as they imagined the possibilities. After a few moments of silence, Jack resumed his wrapping and Karen continued reading…with blurred vision of course.

"I love wrapping presents Kare! Good looking presents have a distinct style to them and need to be wrapped for protection." Jack excitedly blurted out, giggling as a dirty thought about 'wrapping other things for protection' popped into his mind.

"It's not all about the presents Jackie. Sheesh!" Karen replied, sitting at her desk. "It's also about feeling completely miserable about being alone and letting the people you hate know how you really feel about them."

"Aww, you're not alone." Jack sympathized.

"Yeah, but you are!" Karen laughed.

Jack searched around his workstation (aka Grace's desk) for the sticky tape. He had been doing all of his wrapping in Grace's office when she wasn't there.

"Hey, where's Grace today?" He questioned.

"Umm sleeping with Will?"

"Ugh, they are so disgusting!" Jack shuddered.

He grinned at the fact that he had actually made an effort to _think_ about his presents for his friends this year, as opposed to every other years present – a head shot of himself. He looked over at his friend as she sat there and concentrated on filing her nails. Raising his eyebrow cheekily, he sauntered across to Karen's desk, causing her to look up suspiciously.

"What?" She asked.

Jack grinned.

"What did you get me?"

Karen smiled, placing her nail file back down on the table. She picked up a red ribbon and tied it around her chest as Jack watched in awe. She stood up and twirled around, showing off her invention as well as her figure.

"You get me and my approval."

Jack's face fell "Is inappropriate fondling included in the package?"

"Naturally" Karen said, slapping Jack on the behind.

His face lit up again. "Well then, that is one of the best presents ever! That red ribbon looks fabulous by the way, you should really consider wearing it without the top and bra underneath."

Karen chuckled as she both she and Jack resumed their positions at the desks.

* * *

"Lycra should never be silver…and should never be worn as a full body suit. No matter who you are. Lycra Onesies do not flatter anybody, no matter how hard you try." Will sighed into his third coffee. 

Grace snorted. "You should try telling Jack that."

"I have."

They had been sitting at the food court for an hour…all plans of a short visit to the mall had flown through the electronic doors and was now swirling around the frozen streets of New York.

Will rested his cup down on the table he shared with Grace, watching her tear apart a banana muffin.

"What _are _you doing?"

"I heard that bananas induce nightmares."

"That's ridiculous. Waking up next to Karen is a nightmare. Bananas don't create nightmares!"

Grace pouted as she pushed the serviette with banana-muffin remnants away from her. She looked up at her friend.

"So explain, exactly what is happening on Christmas day?" She asked.

"Well, we get up like normal people, open our presents…just me, you and Jack."

"What about Karen?"

"Oh yeah. Ok, like normal people and Satan's spokesperson."

"And then what?"

"And then we have lunch, just the four of us and then later on we will sit around and have a relaxing night, eating Christmas food."

"And where do the dysfunctional families we belong to come into it?" Questioned Grace.

Will rolled his eyes. "At the new years party we are throwing this year, duh!"

Grace suddenly remembered that her and Will had offered to hold a New Years Eve function themselves this year – _Most _of their friends and families were invited to attend.

Will rested his face against his palm.

"Gracie?"

"Yeah?"

"If you are anti-bananas at the moment…Why did you order a banana muffin?"

"You wanna know something?" She responded. "I don't even know"


	3. Eve Ho

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There's just one thing I need  
I don't care about presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you._

* * *

Jack came bustling into Will's apartment, panting with his eyes wide. He quickly regained composure and 'casually' walked over to his best friend. 

"Merry Christmas Eve! Ooh, What's cookin' , semi - good lookin?" He asked.

Will took his oven mitts off and placed them on the bench that he was standing behind, before replying.

"The cake that best represents you."

Jack screwed up his nose as he pondered Will's comment. _Cake that represents me…_

"Fruit cake! It's a fruit cake, Jack." Will snapped, realising that it was going to take his less-than intelligent friend quite a while to figure it out.

Jack rolled his eyes before entering the kitchen with a fake laugh.

"Ah Will, you're so funny sometimes, I really am lucky to have a friend like you" He put his hand on Will's shoulder. "So tallish and sweet, why any guy hasn't snapped you up is beyond me!"

"What do you want, Jack?" Will said, shrugging off Jack's touch. A small grin crossed his face. _I know you too well Jack McFarland, compliments don't come for free._

Jack's mouth gaped open as he adopted a mask of mock offense. "Why would you think that I would want something? I can't just come in to visit my handsome, best friend in the whole wide world on the day before Christmas just to let him know how much I adore and value him?"

Will raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Ja…"

"Ok, here's the catch." Jack quickly interrupted, his expression dropping. "Elliot's darling, Ellen Degeneres loving mother, Bonnie, was called into work today…being a nurse and all. Meaning Elliot is alone for Christmas. Since I'm his…his…"

"Father?"

"Yes! That's the word I was looking for! Since I'm the boys father, I stupidly offered to spend today with him...Meaning I'm stuck with him."

Will smiled. "Jack! That's fantastic! God, I would _kill_ to spend Christmas eve with a child of my own! Here, you have this boy that actually_ wants_ to spend time with you, Lord knows why, and you don't want to do anything about it?"

Jack looked at his feet. The smell of the warm, baking cake, combined with the smell of the pine from the small tree he was standing next to inhabited his nostrils. He breathed it in deeply, letting it fill his lungs. "Of course I am seeing him today! He'll be here in fifteen minutes! Its just that…"

"What?"

"Well…I suck at being a dad…and you…your kind of good with this icky stuff, so I was wondering…"

Will's smile broadened as his heartbeat sped up slightly. He was totally shocked and flattered that Jack believed that he was good at being a parent, seeing as he always wanted to be one himself. Even though he's said it before, a genuine compliment from Jack is as rare as sober Karen.

"You want me to come with you guys today?" He asked.

"You want to come?"

"Isn't that what you were wondering?"

"I was actually wondering if I could borrow your toothbrush, but hey, sure you can come with us!"

Will shook his head as hegrabbed his apartment key."Yes to coming with you guys, No to the toothbrush."

* * *

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need_

_I don't care about presents  
underneath the Christmas tree._

She sat in her office alone, twiddling an off-cut of blue ribbon between her fingers. Her mind seemed to be replaying a montage of all her memories with...him. _How could it be so perfect last Christmas, and then totally fall apart the next? _Grace couldn't lie to herself, she missed him. She pushed all thoughts of Leo to the darkest corner of her brain, and was content with leaving them there, until times like these where emotions allow them an exit pass. She drew in a deep breath, and to her surprise, a tear managed to squeeze its way out and roll down her cheek.

_I don't need to hang my stocking  
There upon the fireplace  
Santa Claus won't make me happy  
With a toy on Christmas day_

Suddenly the door swung open, causing Grace to furiously wipe her eyes before her visitor could see that she had been crying.

"Honey, I think you should fire th…Good Lord! Is this a 'Kiss' reunion? I think I'm in the wrong office!" Karen exclaimed.

Grace realized that her black mascara and eyeliner would have smudged everywhere with her tears, and she would have further ruined it by rubbing her eyes.

"Karen!" She choked, before clearing her throat to hide her teary voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I had the option of spending time with the step kids, giving to charity…or you. Come on, lets go shopping…I want to give you a makeover!"

A flattered smile crossed Grace's face. "So you chose me?"

"What? No! I chose charity…and boy, you need it! Now come on!"

Grace eagerly threw on her jacket and gloves as she rushed to follow Karen down to her limo. _Merry Christmas, Leo._

_I just want you for for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you_

* * *

The icy night air encircled them as they stood, looking up at the giant Christmas tree in Rockerfellar center. No matter how many times he saw it, Jack's heart flipped every time.Will stood next to him. _This was never Will's thing…he has the same damn complex about Christmas as he has about his own birthday! _Elliot lingered in front of them, his back to the two men. Jack shoved his freezing hands into the pockets of his jacket, kicking himself for forgetting to wear gloves. 

_I won't ask for much this Christmas  
I won't even wish for snow  
I'm just gonna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe_

"So, Truman…is anyone riding _your_ sleigh tonight?" Jack asked, indicating with his head that he wanted to keep the conversation clean for the sake of Elliot.

"Is this Christmas any different? Why would my…sleigh…have a driver?"

Jack's heart dropped a little at the fact that his friend was melancholic at such a beautiful time of year.

"Hmmm I suppose you could drive the sleigh...you know...manually" Jack grinned, lightening the mood.

Elliot turned around and rolled his eyes, showing that he understood their lame cover-ups.

_I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for Saint Nick  
I won't even stay awake to  
Hear those magic reindeer click._

The large amount of people standing and watching the giant tree intrigued Will. So many different people, so many different lives that he will never know about, so many different reasons for standing in exactly the same spot as him. He felt a cold hand feed its way into his gloved one, and he looked over at Jack, who grinned like a maniacal three year old. Seeing the impact that this simple tree had over his friend and his son, Will allowed himself to crack a tiny smile as he stood there, hand in hand with his friend.

_'Cause I just want you here tonight  
Holding on to me so tight  
What more can I do  
Baby all I want for Christmas is you_

* * *

Hope you guys like it! I promise more interesting stuff will happen soon:)


	4. When Xmas Calls

Hey again!

Hope you enjoy this...after this, the story should get more interesting, i was basically setting the scene and the foundations up for the rest.

_Jersey Girl: Aww thankyou! I'm glad you are liking this hun! xx_

_Sango-Kadie: Haha I knew you would like the Will/Jack thing. My gift :) xx_

_

* * *

_

All the lights are shining  
So brightly everywhere  
And the sound of children's  
Laughter fills the air  
And everyone is singing  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing  
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need  
Won't you please bring my baby to me

* * *

"Since I have become responsible this year and have a decent paying job, I have bought you all presents…with Karen's money" An excited Jack said, a grin plastered to his face as he distributed his presents to Will, Grace and Karen.

They were sitting around Will's apartment, facing the anally retentively decorated tree (Will's creation). Jack was the only one that was sitting on the floor. He bit his lip as he remembered himself as a child, sprinting into his parents room the minute his eyes snapped open in bed. He would irritate them by singing and nagging until they woke up and finally followed him into the room with the tree.

"Oh my God! Jack! This is the best present ever!" Grace yelled excitedly as her face lit up. "A free food item from Krispy Kreme for every day of the year? Did you like, open my brain while I was sleeping or something!"

"Well, I thought you deserved a present too…even if you aren't really into this whole Christmas thing…and hopefully it will help you forget about L…OW! What was that for?"

Will had kicked Jack in the leg.

"Sorry…foot slipped." He replied sheepishly.

Jack sulked as he rubbed the spot that Will's foot had made contact with.

"Forget about what guys? I'm…fine!" Grace said, extending her neck and back to create an attempt at a sophisticated look. "I am an independent woman this year, I am focusing solely on my career, and no man or food is going to stop that. Just you wait. _I _will be the one buying lunch instead of Will and Karen. So…what do you think about that?" A snooty, matter-of-factly expression stuck itself to her face.

Her friends were silent for a few seconds. _That's right, drink it in! _She thought to herself. Karen, Jack and Will all looked from one to the other…before all cracking up with laughter.

Grace crossed her arms. "Please tell me what hell is like when you three are partying with pitchforks down there"

Regaining their composure, Karen and Will opened their presents from Jack as he eagerly watched their faces for their reactions.

"Wow…Versace Lingerie…How did you know poodle?" Karen asked, lifting the silky number out of the box.

"You gave me the money and told me to go and pick it up for you two days ago…so I thought…why not just wrap it up and pretend it's a present?"

She gave a genuine smile. "You really spoil me, don't you?"

Will looked down at his present. He was trying to carefully open it – as not to ruin the paper it was wrapped in. Peeling each piece of the sticky tape irritatingly slowly, he tried to figure out what it was. Jack got fed up and, leaning over, ripped the paper for Will. Will rolled his eyes and pulled out the content of the present – A wallet and a tie. He picked up the black wallet and was surprised that he actually _liked_ it, and it wasn't too effeminate. Usually, Jack would have purchased him a ladies purse or scarf or something…or something for himself. _No glitter? No bright colours? How can this be the product of a Jack McFarland shopping session? _He flipped the wallet open to have a look at the inside.

"Ah, there we go. Now it is definitely a present from Jack." Will laughed admiringly as he was faced with one of Jack's infamous headshots.

"Its pocket size for your convenience, and, if any guys ask who the hottie in your wallet is, give them my number." Jack said, seriously.

Tearing his eyes away from his immature friend, Will pulled the photo out and put it on one of the hidden compartments of the present. He picked up the light silvery blue silk tie that sat on his lap, widening his eyes as he did so. Jack's face crumpled.

"You hate it! Seriously Will, what do you have against NICE clothing? Has the fat clogged your brain of all fashion sense?" A slight twinge of hurt poked his heart. _I thought it was a good present. Oh well. Extra wallet for me._

"Will ruined Christmas! Everyone hates him!" Karen chanted, much in the manner of a child.

Will shot her a sarcastic look before directing his gaze back towards Jack.

"Open your present, Jack" He said.

Jack looked down at the package that had his name scribbled on it in Will's professional, neat handwriting. He ripped it open to discover a year's gym membership, a new set of pyjamas and…exactly the same tie.

"Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen! We both bought each other the same tie! You _know_ we can't go anywhere in public wearing these at the same time!"

Will raised his eyebrows. "That would be social suicide!"

"Know I know that I am definitely getting old, I am starting to shop like Will. Oh Karen, I don't want to die, I swear I still have the heart and the…Christmas bells…of a 21 year old!" Cried Jack, as he clutched onto the skirt of his friend. She returned his lament with a kick.

"OW! Why does everyone do that?"

Grace was about to answer his question when the phone rang. She sprung up from her chair and quickly jogged over to retrieve the call.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

Some light bustling noise could be heard. She was getting frustrated.

"Look, stop pranking us! Yes, I know the gay guy I live with wears a really short robe and reads naked, but honestly, do _I_ have to pay for it too? STOP GOING THROUGH OUR LAUNDRY YOU LITTLE SNOT-NOSED BRATS! Don't you have anything better to do on Christmas…like play with your dollies or something?"

A youngish female voice responded.

"Um have I called the right place? Is this Karen Walker's residence?"

Grace was taken aback. "No…This is her friend, Grace Adler…Karen w…well I wouldn't say _works_ for me…"

"Oh, well her number in the phone directory points to this one…sorry to be a pain."

"She's here at the moment, do you want to speak to her?"

There was a loud, saddened sigh from the girl's end. Grace couldn't help but feel sorry for this stranger, even though she didn't know her motives for calling.

"No…it's alright. Merry Christmas. Bye."

"Wait…who is this?" Grace asked quickly, curiosity eating her alive.

There was no answer. The girl had already hung up.

Grace squinted her eyes for a second as her brain raced with all her ideas of who the young girl could possibly be. _Olivia? Didn't sound like her. _

She shook it off and sat back down with her friends.


	5. Resolving Resolutions?

Hope you guys enjoy this :) Sorry the story has gotten off to a slow start...

* * *

"Ok ladies, this is how we are doing it." Will requested as his three friends lounged around Grace's office. He grabbed the notepad from Karen's desk. 

"Hey Chewbacca! That's mine!" Karen scowled.

"The only thing you use it for is rolling your stash." Will said, assessing himself in the mirror, slightly self conscious by Karen's stab at his hairiness. "I don't shave for one day and I am already a member of the Star Wars crew?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Stop finding reasons to check yourself out, Five-o-clock Shadow, and tell us what this crap is about. I have people to ditch before the New Year begins and before your bash tonight or I am stuck with them forever."

Grace, through a mouthful of chicken sandwich piped up. "Yeah, and I have work to finish before tomorrow. I want to start the New Year with new projects."

"Ok Ok!" Will cried. "Just listen to me for a minute." He angrily distributed some paper to Karen, Jack and Grace before ripping off a few sheets for himself.

"Oh will you look at that? A minute's up!" Jack said, standing up. Will's icy look caused his face to drop as he sat down again.

"Each of us are going to write down our resolutions and goals for the New Year, because goals are just ideas until they are written down. I'll collect them and keep them since I am the only responsible one here."

"Sound's like something they do at 'Camp I'm-an-emotional-teenager-with-the-world-on-my-shoulders-and-I-am-the-only-one-with-problems'…a.k.a every camp." Grace scoffed.

The three groaned as they picked up pens and began to write. Will thought about his and scribbled his resolutions down also, before collecting the responses. He sorted through and read them.

**

* * *

**

**Grace.**

What I want for this year:

To make more money

To find a nice guy that is up to my standards and worth marriage

Guy must be either a killer chef or rich

Guy must only have FIVE fingers and FIVE toes and no other 'wierdnesses'

To visit gym more and eat less cake

To bake more, and NOT from packet mixes

To have a spiritual epiphany and become calm within myself

To not have to depend on Will

To laugh at least four times a day, starting the road to happiness and enlightening.

To get along with mother.

* * *

"Isn't that the same as every year, Grace?" Jack asked. 

She squinted her eyes at him. "No! not…every year. I had a man last year."

* * *

**Karen.**

* * *

"Karen, there's nothing on here!" Will exclaimed, holding up the plan white sheet of paper.

"Yeah, honey…I don't write things down…ever!"

"Why?"

"Safety precaution. If there's nothing written down, _they_ have nothing on me…"

Will screwed up his nose as Karen continued.

"…also, they're onto me. There was this girl at my door last night that was apparently looking for me...Gee they start them young these day don't they?"

Grace thought for a second. _Young girl? Looking for Karen? Christmas? My gosh! I totally forgot about that!_

* * *

**Jack.**

I'm impressed Will. Nice cover up. I think you and I both know what this really is about. You want the window to MY soul and my autograph. Good try, Mr. Cellophane! Anyway this is what I hope for as of tomorrow:

A nice man or 12

Blonde highlights

To gain an accent of some sort…preferably British or Spanish

To be the God-Daddy of Britney's forthcoming child

To comb Paris Hilton's hair, once, to see if it is real.

To bring Will back down to earth about his looks.

To tease Grace as much as possible.

To constantly wear white

To track down whoever it was that stole my Jockstrap at the gym…and sleep with him.

* * *

"Wow, those are some real goals, Jack." Will said sarcastically. 

"I know, I am artistically deep. I should make a film about the complexity of my mind and enter it into a film festival.

"The one for 'Short-films?'" Will snickered.

"Go into your corner and resume dying bitter, arrogant and alone will you please?" Jack snapped. He let a tiny grin cross his face as he watched Will roll his eyes. _Got him!_

* * *

**Will.**

My resolutions and things I want to achieve next year:

To be happier in my job.

To fix up the apartment

To not get involved in a complicated relationship, no matter what costs.

To not get involved in a _serious _relationship, unless 'the one' comes along.

To help all my friends

To buy a new shirt every month

To be happy.

* * *

Jack cocked his head to the side as his blue eyes settled on Will, who had just finished reading out his aims for the oncoming year. _To be happy? _He thought to himself._ I didn't know he was 'unhappy'. _An eerie sadness seeped in and curled its long fingers around his heart. He thought about trying to set Vince and Will up again, to you know, help him but strangely, the thought caused him to shudder. 

"Hey loving you all besides Will and Grace, but I gotta go. A lady needs hours of preparation for events like tonight's party. Toodloo." Jack said quickly, walking towards the door.

Grace scoffed. "I'm just shoving on a dress from whatever is in my closet."

"Yes Grace, but the difference is, you are just a girl. Not yet a woman…"

"Please shut him out before he sings the downfall of Britney's career" Will begged.

Jack poked his tongue out and left. Karen slammed the door shut.

"Uh, Will…Grace…what exactly is going on tonight?" She asked.

The two sighed loudly as they began to explain the nights details, for the 7th time.

* * *

Next Chapter: The New Year's Eve Party... 

Please review if in the mood. Thanks guys:)


	6. Surprise For The New Year pt1

_**Song: **Stand by me - Ben E King_

_Balloon: Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!_

_

* * *

_

_When the night has come, and the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we will see  
No, I won't be afraid, oh, I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me  
So darlin', darlin' stand by me  
Oh stand by me  
_

Will's eyes scanned and darted around the hall. The decorations, the band, the atmosphere…was perfect. Just as he expected it to be, thanks to his obsession over every detail of the night. _Perfect. I will be the life of this party! No reason to be down. Then why am I? No. I'm not. I am happier than Mickey Mouse on amphetamines! _He convinced himself as he dusted off his suit and walked over to the bar to join Grace and to collect a glass of wine.

"How do you think its going?" She asked nervously, indicating with her head that she was talking about the party.

A smug smile crossed Will's face. "Great. No one is drunk, the band is good, besides the fact that the singer is wearing a shiny purple jacket with a matching vest." His face then overshadowed with concern. "Are you alright sweetie?"

Grace let out a loud sigh. "Yes I'm fine! Why do people keep asking me that? Even people I haven't seen for like, 5 years are asking me that!"

"Well…you know…the whole you and Leo thing. I mean, it can't be easy on you…"

"Hey hey hey! You're single this New Year's too! Sorry to bring you down, but it's the truth!"

Will took the stab as a tactic of self defense. He knew she was hurting, much in the same way he was. He was trying to push it to the back of his mind. After a few seconds of needed silence between the two friends, Will turned to Grace.

"Do you think we did the right thing by inviting our exes here tonight?"

"Of course we did. How else can we show them how fantastically we are doing without them? I can show Leo that I am the independent career woman I was always supposed to be, and you can show Vince how together you are."

"But Vince and I didn't have a bad break-up…I don't really need to show him anything…"

"Hey! You took up the double dare Will, you can't back out!" Grace scorned.

Will took a sip of his wine as he watched the people dancing together on the floor. His friends, his family…everybody he ever needed in one room, yet he still felt partially empty.

"Champagne?" He asked Grace.

"No, I am so not drinking tonight…I don't want to make a fool of myself."

"C'mon, this isn't some teenage party where you're having your first encounter with vodka. You know when to stop yourself."

She shook her head, confirming her decision. Will was about to push her further about her decision when he noticed Grace tense up. Leo had just entered…and with the accessory of the beautiful Dr. Morty hanging from his arm. Will grabbed Grace's hand as her face crumpled.

"That bitch" She muttered under her breath before turning around to face the bartender. "Four glasses of champagne please. You want anything, Will?"

* * *

Jack, Karen, Rosario and Elliot moped at a table, also watching the people dance and enjoy themselves. Elliot and Jack were playing with the candle wax that was dripping from the central candle on the table.

"Will is gonna kill me for wrecking his arrangement" Jack giggled.

"What are you gonna do?" Elliot asked.

"Easy. I'll tell him it was you."

"Hey that's not fa…"

Elliot's complaint was cut off by Karen.

"Oh no, Leon's here…with her!"

Jacks mouth gaped open. _Grace must really be DYING! _He thought. His heart reached out to her, something about New Year's always made him feel sentimental.

"Let's go dance with her!" He blurted out.

"Um, honey, maybe later. Me and Rosie are discussing her pay cut for the new year."

"What?" A shocked Rosario piped up.

Jack rolled his eyes and grabbed Elliot's arm.

* * *

_If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall  
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea  
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me  
And darlin', darlin' stand by me  
Oh stand by me_

Grace was onto her fifth glass of champagne when she was tapped on the shoulder.

"Um…may I have this dance?" a shy voice questioned.

She quickly spun around to come face to face with…Elliot. She was quite buzzed by this stage and her speech was beginning to slur a little.

"Sure, as long as you don't marry me, cheat and then end up dating an even hotter woman. Can you promise me that Elliot?" She asked Jack's son, placing her hand on his shoulder, partly for emphasis and partly for balance.

Elliot laughed nervously.

"Jack told me to dance with you…but sure, I can do that."

He smiled as he linked arms with Grace and walked her onto the dance floor.

Jack looked up at Will, who was ordering another glass of wine. He was chatting to the bartender, who stood there, looking confused as he poured Will's order.

"I mean, I _am _enjoying myself. I swear. I like seeing everyone happy, I like making everyone happy…that's what I do. I am…I am like the catalyst of…of happy!" He rambled.

Just as the bartender was handing the glass over the bar, Jack reached in and grabbed it before Will, who stood there surprised.

"We'll just leave this here, ok?" Jack said, soothingly, placing the glass back down on the bar.

"Why?"

"Because you look pathetic and we are dancing." Jack responded, taking Will's hand and dragging him towards the floor. Will took one glance back at the bar before losing all fighting power, allowing himself to be forced into dancing.

_Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me  
Oh stand by me_

After some bickering, Jack finally decided to let Will lead the dancing. It felt right. Dancing together so casually, surrounded by people that understood and respected them…and most of all, loved them.

With his hand on Will's shoulder, Jack looked at his best friend and smiled.

"Wow. You still really can't dance!"

This allowed Will to crack a tiny smile.

"At least we are better than Joe and Larry, and Elliot and Grace." He said sneakily, indicating with his eyes for Jack to look towards the left. Jack giggled.

"I make you look good!"

Will rolled his eyes as he continued to slowly move around the floor, his hand around Jack's waist. They danced in silence for a few minutes, drinking in each others company. Standing in dancing embrace, he looked inquisitively at Will.

"Are you…actually enjoying yourself tonight?"

"Of course I am! Why would you say that? Is it because Vince didn't turn up?"

Jack was surprised. _Vince was invited? _

"No...don't worry. You realize that we stopped dancing?"

Jack pulled the left sleeve of Will's suit up to inspect his watch. _Only 10 minutes to midnight!_

A faster song began to play, as will spun Jack under his arm before they resumed dancing.

* * *

Karen looked up as a girl slid into the stool at the bar, next to her.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Karen asked.

"By ship…what do you think? The door!" She said, rolling her dark brown eyes. Brown and red shoulder length hair framed her pale face. She was about seventeen or so and she wasn't incredibly tall. Her small hand tightly clutched onto a photo of Karen.

"You're the girl that was at my door! You and your ugly shoes! I remember you!"

The girl was taken aback, first by the pitch of Karen's voice and then by the fact that she seemed to be unrecognizable to this woman.

"My shoes are not ugly, you're just old." She responded.

Karen's face was a frozen mask of shock. She slowly allowed her face to regain normal composure before stating:

"I like you."

The girl smiled. "Well, that's a good start."

"By the way…" Karen questioned, "Who are you?"

The girl looked down. "Well I didn't really expect you to remember me…"

"Honey, I don't remember five minutes ago, how can you really expect me to remember someone I haven't met before? Now what's your name, I wanna introduce you to my friend, his name is Security."

"Will you introduce me correctly if I tell you?"

Karen nodded.

"Well, in that case." The girl said. "Josephine Walker-Black. Biological daughter of Karen and the late Stanley."

_To be continued…_


	7. Surprise For The New Year pt2

_**Song : **You won't be mine - Matchbox 20_

_Baloon: Thanks once again, hopefully you'll like what i have in store for the rest of the story :)_

_Panda: Thankyou! it means heaps to me when people think that I am being true to the show. Glad to bring a smile to your face!_

_

* * *

_

_Take your head around the world  
See what you get  
From your mind  
Write your soul down word for word  
See who's your friend  
Who is kind  
It's almost like a disease  
I know soon you will be_

The music stopped, and the lights in the hall came up. Everyone froze, knowing that this was the moment the whole leads up to: The countdown - the ending of one time in your life, and the beginning of another.

Will dropped his dancing embrace with Jack and held his hand. Grace, Karen, Rosario and Elliot joined him.

The singer of the band began to count the longest ten seconds of every year into the microphone.

"10!"

The group grinned excitedly, besides the fact that Grace was practically leaning on Will for stability.

"9!"

Karen looked over to Josephine, standing near the bar, her young face watching her. As a sudden surprising burst of niceness, she motioned for her to come over.

"8!"

Jack placed his non-held hand on Elliot's shoulder.

"7!"

A scared Josephine joined and lingered shyly behind Karen.

"6!"

Grace drunkenly stumbled as Will pulled her in tighter, wrapping his arm around her waist to prop her up.

"5!"

Jack and Will grinned at each other nervously…waiting.

"4!"

Will tightened his grip on Jacks hand.

"3!"

Everyone jittered, making brief eye contact with each other.

"2!"

Silence. "You ready?" Grace slurred to Will.

He nodded.

"1!"

_Over the lies, you'll be strong  
You'll be rich in love and you will carry on._

Music. Whistles. Hugs. Tears. Laughter. Falling streamers and balloons.

The atmosphere was surreal, time meant nothing.

Jack turned to Will. He picked up a pink streamer and put it around Wills neck, causing him to laugh.

"Just remember old man, I had the last dance of the year." Jack grinned.

"And you can have the first." Will replied, surprising Jack by grabbing him and dipping him, forcing him to cling onto Will in fear of being dropped.

* * *

_Take your straight line for a curve  
Make it stretch, the same old line  
Try to find if it was worth what you spent  
_

Grace stumbled over to the bar to order another drink. _Why the hell did I think inviting Leo wouldn't mean anything? _She was kicking herself. She scanned the party over, trying to find him. She saw Dr. Morty talking to _her_ mother and laughing. _Oh what I would give for that strap at the back of her dress to 'magically' snap. _Grace giggled at the idea of Dr. Morty's dress falling apart.

"I have two crazy suggestions for you tonight" A familiar voice boomed behind her.

"Don't want 'em Leo" She slurred, sloppily throwing her hands up.

He took her hand and spun her around to face him.

"Well you're getting them. Number 1. No more drinking tonight. You'll regret this tomorrow."

Grace stared at him icily. "There's a lot of things I regret."

Leo just ignored her. "Number two, I suggest that you come and dance with me."

"What? Why? Do you think I _need_ you or something, because that is crazy. I am an independent woman now and…and… will you leave me alone if I dance with you?"

"Just like old times." He smiled. He had left Dani talking to Bobbi Adler…that should occupy her for some time.

Grace put her arms around his neck and let him support her.

_Why you're guilty for the way  
You're feeling now  
It's almost like being free  
And I know soon you will be_

* * *

"You know, apart from the fact that you have been stepping on my feet all night, you haven't really been your domineering, anally retentive, angry old self tonight" Jack said to Will.

"That's because everything for once, has gone right tonight." Will thought aloud.

Jack looked up. "That is strange. Usually things you organize fail miserably"

"Thanks for the support" Will responded sarcastically.

"Support? Since when did I start giving meaningless crap like that out?"

"Happy New year"

"Ditto." Jack replied.

Jack craned his neck forward a little to kiss his friend on the cheek. Not quite knowing why, but feeling strangely compelled to, Will blocked Jack's kiss by leaning forward to brush lips with him. This caused Jacks eyes to snap open. _Did he just…Kiss me? _Pulling back, Jack looked inquisitively at Will, who anxiously looked around and started tugging on his shirt sleeve to distract his attention from what he just did.

"Will?"

"I don't know" He blurted out quickly.

Before they had a chance to discuss the occurrence, Karen walked up to them.

"Hey, there is a time and a place for things like that! Now unless you are ripping each others clothes off in public, I need you to come into the back room."

"Ooh Back room? I have had many a man lure me into the back room." Jack giggled.

* * *

"Ok, I want to introduce you to someone." Karen said, looking around the tiny room. Josephine stood next to her, taking in the appearances and strange mannerisms of her mother and her friends. Grace was sitting on a chair, with Leo propping her up and forcing her to drink water.

"Since when did this room exist…and how did I get here?" Grace asked.

"I…carried you in here to stop you from embarrassing yourself…and then Karen decided to set a little meeting up in here for…I dunno, the apocalypse or whatever she is planning." Leo replied. "Keep drinking the water."

"Hey! Mr. Faithful. Scoot. I can handle her!" Jack said, looking at Leo.

"Jack, you can't handle the O.C being moved to a different timeslot." Will inserted. "Now as much as we don't like Leo right now, he is doing a good job of handling Grace."

Jack crossed his arms. "But I had the slanted eyebrows and everything. Do you know how many weeks it took me to get that look?"

Screwing up his nose, Will rubbed Jack's back. "I think that is the sort of thing you shouldn't really share with anybody."

Jack shrugged Will's hand away from him.

"I love you guys!" Karen yelled, causing everyone to be silent. _That always works. _She smiled to herself.

"Well…not really…I just needed your attention. Now, this may come as a teeny tiny surprise to you, but well 17 years ago…"

"What? When you were 80?" Will snickered.

"You get one of those a year Wilma, and unfortunately for you, you just wasted it 20 minutes into this year." She replied sweetly.

"Kare, the suspense is killing me!" Jack pleaded.

"Everyone, this is Josephine, my daughter."

There was a collective silence in the room. Even the breathing of the 6 members in it could not be heard.

"I'm gonna be sick" Grace slurred. Leo quickly snatched her up in his arms.

"I have a crazy feeling that hurling in here is not a very swell idea" He said as he ran of the door, his ex-wife in his arms.

"Wow. That's pure class there. Next thing we know, she's roommates with Courtney Love and Paris Hilton is their land lord." Will said, shaking his head. "Hope she's alright."

Jack stared at Josephine, before his eyes rolled back and he fainted, luckily with Will to catch his fall.

Karen looked around. "The night didn't have enough pizzazz or usual 'Will Truman' drama in it."

"I think that went well" Josephine asked.

"This deserves a drink." Karen said, as she and Josephine left the room. "Hell, everything deserves a drink!"

Will struggled to stand with Jack's limp body in his arms. Jack began to moan as he slowly came to. _Thank God! _A relieved Will thought. He tried to prop Jack up against the wall.

"C'mon Jack, snap out of it." Will urged.

Jacks back slid down the wall, leading him into a sitting position. Will kneeled down so he was face to face with Jack, and supported his friend's chin with his hand.

Jack's blue eyes slowly began to open. Will breathed a sigh of relief as he began to take off his jacket.

Unknown to the two, Joe and Larry, their friends, had just approached the door way.

"You're hard work you know that Jack? Trying to hold you up against the wall like that? And your eyes were closed the whole time. At least you got to enjoy yourself peacefully for a few minutes while I worked my ass off!" Will said, managing to finally pull his jacket off. Jack just groaned.

"I told you it was gonna happen Larry! I knew it would!" Joebragged excitedly.

"I can't believe you guys did it...here! Thank God we found you _after_" Larry said.

Will and Jack looked up at them, surprised that they had an audience. Before they could both get their heads around what their friends were assuming in order to justify themselves, the two had walked off, bickering.

* * *

"Karen, I'm sorry for just…showing up like this but I really had to meet you." Josephine said.

They stood on the sidewalk outside the function hall, the icy breeze nipping at their faces.

"Look honey, you wouldn't be the first person dying to meet me."

"So I guess it's goodbye, huh?" Josephine asked.

"Usually its hello at this time for me, but I know weaklings like you need your sleep."

"I'll be back from Colorado in three weeks…maybe we can catch up…or something?"

"Remind me then. I won't remember."

The girl nodded, and before she realized it, she threw her arms around Karen. Karen's eyes popped open widely as she came to terms with the outburst of affection. For a split second, and for the first time in the duration of the night, the two seemed to really be mother and daughter.

Josephine began to hail for a cab as Karen and Rosario jumped into the limo. A quick pang of guilt sliced through Karen. _Feelings are such an inconvenience!_ She wound the window down.

"Hey small fry, get in. We're driving you home."

Over the lies, you'll be strong  
You'll be rich in love and you will carry on


	8. Children Gotta love 'em!

"So…let's get this right…" Will said, leaning forward on the chair as he assessed his friend.

It was afternoon and they were sitting in Karen's kitchen. As soon as they had woken up Will, Jack and Grace went straight over to interrogate Karen about the bombshell she had dropped on them the night before.

"…This is what I managed to gather from your incoherent mix 'n match of words: You. Stan. Seventeen years ago. Born in September. Name is Josephine Annette Walker. You put her up for adoption straight away, making her Josephine Annette Walker-Black. Have I forgotten anything?"

"What sex with a man is like?" Jack slotted in.

Karen and Jack cackled with laughter. Grace rested her head on the table after taking a sip of her fourth glass of water since they had arrived at Karen's.

Will breathed out angrily. "Am I the only one who cares about this?" He directed his questions towards Karen again, angling his body to face her as he became more serious.

"Why didn't you tell us about her?"

Karen anxiously reached for her martini, her hand shaking so much that by the time the drink had reached her lips, there was only a mouthful left. She swished the alcohol around in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. She pulled the olive out with a toothpick and twisted in around in her fingers as she began to reply.

"I thought that I wouldn't see her ever again. I could easily pretend she didn't exist, like I do with Grace when she asks me important things about her life."

"I didn't hear that!" Grace mumbled.

"When did you put her up for adoption?" Will asked.

"Well...uh…when she was 6 months old." She answered. _And I feel like crap about it too. Thanks for asking. Ask me why I did it and that white shirt of yours will be coffee coloured. _"I…gave her to my…uh…my friend."

"Wow, I'm not sure whether to be more shocked about you having a child, or having a friend!" Will thought out aloud.

"Hey Kare, when do we get to meet her properly?" Jack asked, his tongue poking out of the side of his mouth. He was concentrating hard trying to create a house with toothpicks.

"She said she's coming back in three weeks for a visit. So I have just under three weeks to leave the country."

"No. You are dealing with this. You need to talk to her, and you know what? We are all going to help you through it…it's time you met your daughter for real."

Karen looked down and realized that Will was resting his hand on hers.

Jack's bright blue eyes removed themselves from his tiny toothpick creation and focused on Will admiringly. He loved it when Will went through the transition into becoming 'Lawyer-Will'. When Will made eye contact with Jack, Jack snapped his eyes away and dragged them back to his current task, working on it furiously to try and act like he didn't even notice his friend.

"Look! I made a Love Shack!" Jack cried, pointing to his pile of toothpicks and humming to the tune of the song.

"It looks like a pile of sticks" Will snapped. Jack had been irritating him more than usual today…for no particular reason that he could think of.

"That's because you don't have a creative bone in your body like us artists. You're all 'logic, books and arrogance."

"It's better than being whiny, over-emotional and childish." Will responded. He realized that he was beginning to get a little edgy with the younger man and resisted the sudden urge to destroy the little toothpick house/thing.

"So…did everyone enjoy last night?" Grace asked, finally sitting upright at the table.

* * *

Jack was lying on the floor of his apartment. He had attempted push ups, but became distracted by the gossip magazine that Grace had left there by accident and decided to give up. He flipped through the pages, not really focusing on anything in particular, as his mind raced with the events of the previous night.

_Karen has a daughter and didn't tell me…and Grace got drunk (ha ha, she looked so funny!) and Will…God, what went on there? Was that an attempt at a kiss? Jack McFarland! Listen to yourself. Hey! Catherine Zeta Jones got a new haircut, she looks fabulous! _

He tried to lure his thoughts away from Will by attempting to bury himself in the magazine. It was hopeless…he just kept seeing himself on the dance floor with his best friend, as if they were the only two people in the entire world. He groaned with anger at himself and rolled onto his back, placing the open magazine over his head, blocking out the light.

_Why no…_

His thought pattern was broken by the piercing shriek of the telephone. He bolted upright before sprinting over to answer it.

"Hello, the McFarland Palace, Jack speaking." He chimed into the receiver.

"Uh…Jack its me…Elliot."

Jack was taken aback by the seriousness of his sons tone. "Oh hi Elliot, what's going on?"

"Well…I did something bad."

Fear suddenly propelled itself through Jack's entire body. _Oh God Oh God Oh God._

"What? What did you do? Is it drugs? Did you knock someone up? Did somebody bitch slap you?" He questioned with a quickened pace.

"None of the above." Elliot replied. "Wow, you really need to chill out!"

"Then what did you do?"

"Well you see…in a few weeks,we have this lunch with the school, where everybody's parents come. It's some stupid school tradition thing. They all sit in one room and pretend as if they aren't comparing their own child to everyone elses."

"Sounds…er…fun" Jack responded unenthusiastically.

"Mom can't make it. So I was wondering if you wanted to come…dad?"

"Of course I will!"

Jack couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. _I am the coolest dad right now! _He thought to himself. _Wait…did Elliot just call me 'dad'? uh oh, that usually means…_

"There's one tiny catch though." Elliot said.

Jack sighed. It couldn't possibly be _that _bad. "What now?"

"Well I kind of told my school that uh…you are married."

"Why would you do that, son?" Came Jack's retort, through gritted teeth.

"Well, I really wanted a day or two off school so I told them that I was going to your wedding. Don't worry, they know you're gay and they can't wait to meet you and your 'husband'…Will."

"WHAT!"

"He was the only other gay guy I knew, and I knew you guys would do this for me…please do this for me! Just pretend for one hour, that you guys are married." Elliot begged.

"What's in it for me?"

"Uh…this red lollipop I just found, and uh…my love?" His son pathetically proposed.

Jack squinted his eyes. "You're on."

* * *

Hope you liked it, please review if you did (or didn't, flaming is cool) I hope the characterization was alright :)

**Next Chapter: **A revisit from Josephine ends abruptly, while Will and Jack meet some...interesting people at the parents lunch.


	9. A Serve of Strange On The Side Please?

Thanks for your sweet reviews guys, they are really encouraging!

Hope you like this chapter!

Sundown xx :)

**Song: **Wouldn't it be Nice?- The Beach Boys

_

* * *

_

_Wouldn't it be nice if we were older?_

_Then we wouldn't have to wait so long_

_And wouldn't it be nice to live together_

_In the kind of world where we belong_

_You know its gonna make it that much better_

_When we can say goodnight and stay together_

"Hey, slow down Will, you'll give yourself a heart attack!" Jack yelled as they walked towards the entrance of the school. The cold air circled around and bit at them. Will slowed his pace down when they reached the door, before turning around to face Jack.

"C'mon, we'll be late."

Jack fidgeted nervously with his gloves as he began to take them off.

"Is my hair alright? Does it scream out 'I am a smug, married, responsible man with a steady job and income'?"

"No, it screams out 'Liar!'. I want you to remember, Jack McFarland. You owe me. I'm doing this so you can score points with your son, now c'mon, lets go in there and be parents." Will said sternly. He had tried to avoid Jack for the past few weeks, as he found himself becoming increasingly irritated with him since the New Years party.

Jack nodded and followed along.

* * *

"How much are countries these days? I'm interested in buying one." Karen inquired as she sat at her desk, while Grace worked at her own.

Suddenly there was a buzz at the door. Both women jumped in fright and remained in their spots. Grace looked at Karen.

"Karen?"

"What?"

"The door."

Karen looked over at the glass door.

"Its…uh pretty?"

Grace sighed as she placed her current drawing down on the desk. "Who's behind the door?"

A relieved smile crossed Karen's face. "Oh you can see her too? Good! It wasn't the pills"

Karen returned to filing her nails.

"KAREN!"

"Ok, ok geez honey! Maybe you should have something to relax yourself. I know it must be hard living with that personality every day, but taking it out on your friends is the first step on the way to losing them."

Grace rolled her eyes and opened the door herself, allowing Josephine to enter.

"You!" Karen said, suddenly snapping into seriousness.

"I suppose so." The girl replied.

An awkward silence seeped into the room. Karen froze. _What am I supposed to do now?_

"You uh…want lunch or a boat or something?"

"Lunch is fine."

"Alright! Fine! You demand so much of me! We'll go shopping, and then go into the tacky stores and pretend like we are actually interested in purchasing their 'unfit to be worn' clothing. It'll be a blast, c'mon, what do you say? Is that good enough for you?" Karen sneered, feeling that she had to do the polite thing.

Josie smiled. "Sure, whatever, as long as we can look at shoes and laugh at the big sizes."

_She really does belong to Karen! _Grace thought to herself.

Karen stood up with a smile. "Gracie, I'm just going on a short lunch-break, I'll be back, ok?"

"No you won't"

"No, I won't, but I _will _think of you when we go through the big shoes."

Grace shook her head as her friend left. Once again, she was alone.

_I have to get out of here._

* * *

_Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up_

_In the morning when the day is new_

_And after having spent the day together_

_Hold each other close the whole night through_

_The happy times together we've been spending_

_I wish that every kiss was never ending..._

Will pulled out Jack's chair for him at the table they were assigned to. As they sat, they both assessed the other three couples they were sharing the table with.

"Hi!" one of the fathers said, leaning forward and shaking hands with the two. "I'm Alan, this is my wife Katie, this is Nigel and Dana and this is…uh…"

He was cut off by the third woman at the table "I'm Marcie, and this is my husband, Dwayne. Celia's parents"

"Poor Celia" Jack whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Will hit his friend's leg under the table.

"Ow…Oh yeah. I'm Jack and this is my…er…husband. Will." Glances were exchanged around the table, Marcie appearing to be the most shocked out of the parents.

"How can you be married and have a child?"

Will and Jack could both see that this woman was not only surprised, but also completely disgusted. _Fun! _The other two couples didn't seem to mind, they actually smiled.

"Well, you see, we got married at Niagra Falls, when we realized that I had knocked Jack up. Our dear son, Elliot, who was named after my father, grew rapidly, giving him the physique and mentality of a 15 year old boy in just a few months." Will replied sarcastically to the question.

Alan, Katie, Nigel and Dana all grinned. They detested Marcie, Dwayne and their wretched child, Celia.

Will stretched out his arm and rested it on the back of Jack's chair triumphantly. _At least this woman will make the afternoon entertaining. _

Jack, playing along, shuffled his chair closer to Will's so they were sitting as close as possible. They nodded slightly at each other, knowing that they had to perform and squeeze their act to rags, both for Elliot's sake, and for the sake of this naïve woman.

All during lunch, they listened to Marcie and Dwayne drone on about their new four-wheel drive and their new curtains and their trip to Bermuda, to the point where the other 6 members of the table were ready to gag.

"…and Celia is by far the most talented in her ballet class, the teachers all tell her that her leotard is stunning and that she is the prettiest girl and that her makeup is flawless."

"Funny, the aerobics instructor at the gym tells Jack the exact same thing." Will snickered.

"Gee Will, you're looking uncannily like a blimp today, did you plan that or was it just plain coincidence?" Jack replied.

Will cringed slightly before speaking again. _Why today? I am not in the mood for this. Not in the mood for…him._

"Aw Jackie, I don't think you realize how adorable you are when you get defensive"

Will looked at Jack, who in return picked up a napkin and pretended to wipe off some non-existent food from Will's face. Will grinned and pecked Jack on the cheek.

The other two women, Katie and Dana cocked their heads to the side as their smiles stretched across their faces. Marcie gritted her teeth.

"Don't you think that it's wrong to parade that kind of lifestyle around your son? What if he begins to…follow it?"

Jack released a loud sigh before leaning forward to address his listener. "Well, Missy…"

"It's Marcie"

"Ok, Macy…don't _you _think that it's wrong to parade that kind of fashion around your daughter? I mean, what if _she _begins to follow it? Crushed velvet? Really!"

Marcie pursed her lips and squinted her eyes, nudging her husband Dwayne while mumbling "say something". He just shrugged.

"Wow!" Jack laughed bitterly as he directed his comment to the rest of the visitors at the table. "I didn't know that you were important enough to have a spokesperson."

* * *

"Good Lord honey, I can't believe I am in the food court" Karen exclaimed as she analysed her surroundings..

Josie sucked on the straw of her milkshake. "Well, I'm getting to know my mother, you're having your first experience of the common people…I tell you, it's a day of discovery!"

"I work with Grace Ampler. It doesn't get more common than that."

"I think its Adler."

"Hmm, Adler _would_ work better. Maybe she should change her last name to that."

Josie nodded as Karen watched all the 'common' people walking by. Her eyes lit up at the ample opportunities to mock.

"Hey! She's never going to fit into that size! That woman looks pregnant!" Karen giggled.

"That's because she is pregnant, and those clothes are for the baby."

"Oh."

Josephine jumped up.

"Well…nice of you to bring me here, had fun, had a blast, best time ever, but I've gotta go. Bye Karen!" She said as if on fast forward while turning and walking off in a hurry, leaving a confused mother behind.

* * *

_Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray... it might come true_

_Baby, then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do..._

_We could be married and then we'd be happy,_

_Wouldn't it be nice?_

Once they were out of the perimeter of the school, Will quickly snatched his hand away from Jack's.

"Oooh someone's got their lacy panties in a twist." Jack teased.

"Get away from me. I wear briefs and boxers." Will said angrily, stalking past Jack.

"Like a REAL man. Hey! Slow down!"

Jack ran to catch up with Will. He grabbed Will's arm, forcing him to stop. They lingered on the footpath of the park they were walking through.

"What do you want?"

"What's with the 'tude?"

"The 'tude?" Will said, screwing up his nose. "Don't use that abbreviation around me again please. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine"

Jack was shocked and slightly hurt at his friend's sudden hostility._ What did I do now? Good one Jack._

"Then why the hell have you been little Miss Snappy Pants from the minute we left the lunch? And why have you been distancing yourself from me since New Years? Is it because you realized that you will never be me?"

Will rolled his eyes and furiously stormed off. He couldn't exactly fathom exactly _why _he felt this way towards Jack, but only that he did.

"Leave me alone Jack" He breathed out. He continued to walk fast as Jack jogged a little to keep up.

"Hmm, no. Ok…is it because I always take your soap?"

"That's you?...No." _Please just stop talking._

"Uh, is it because I made you rent 'Raise Your Voice'?"

"NO."

Will suddenly froze with realization. It hit him like a semi trailer on the freeway. _No!_

"Then _WHY_ the hell have you been brewing all things aggressive and dishing me up a huge, lumpy, fattening serve of it?" Jack yelled to Will's back. He was beginning to feel frustrated now. When his friend didn't answer, he began to speak again.

"William Truman…Wh…"

"BECAUSE I HATE THE FACT THAT I THINK I AM FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU!" He yelled, whirling around and confronting Jack's wide eyed face. Jacks mouth gaped open as there was a motionless, suspended silence between the two.

"There. I said it. Now please, I just want to go home." Will sadly pleaded.

Jack nodded quietly. Will turned around once again to walk off. Before he could escape, Jack grabbed his hand and dragged him into a short, fervent kiss. They both quickly pulled apart and awkwardly avoided eye contact.

"So…what do we do now?" Jack asked.

Will looked up. "There's a 'we'?"

"There could be." Jack answered nervously before they began to quietly walk home.

"One thing…" Will said as they strolled. "We shouldn't tell the girls yet."

_You know it seems the more we talk about it_

_It only makes it worse to live without it_

_But let's talk about it..._

_Wouldn't it be nice?_

* * *

_Hope you're enjoying it so far!_

**Next Chapter: **Jack begins to feel the pull of keeping a secret relationship and Karen and Grace become suspicious.


	10. A Sexual Hiatus and, well, Love?

Hey!

Thank you guys so much for your sweet reviews, and thanks for sticking with the story. There are still a few twists and turns in it yet so, enjoy...

_

* * *

_

_There are places I'll remember  
All my life though some have changed  
Some forever not for better  
Some have gone and some remain  
All these places have their moments  
With lovers and friends I still can recall  
Some are dead and some are living  
In my life I've loved them all_

"You would not BELIEVE how many hotties there were last night! I swear, it was like the club was completely devoted to me! They just couldn't get enough Jack."

"And let me guess, you gave them what they wanted?" An uninterested Will asked behind his newspaper.

Jack jumped up and sat on Will's, unwrapping the sandwich he had brought, as Will placed his reading apparatus down and inspected the lunch Jack had brought for him.

"What's with the sandwiches?"

"Can you stop thinking, talking, breathing and accumulating food and pay attention to ME for once Truman? I am trying to tell you about my fabulous night, that you, Mr 'I'm too busy for people' weren't invited to."

Will was amused."Shoot."

Jack swung his legs around and sat cross legged on his friend's desk, facing him. Will cringed slightly at the fact that Jack's shoes were on his desk, but he fought back his annoyance and let it go.

"Well, I was just dancing, doing my thing, looking half mysterious, half European and half incredible when…"

_3 halves? _Will smirked to himself.

"…all of a sudden, _I _get picked to dance on the stage! They loved me so much that they want me back next week. They said that I was the best podium boy they had ever had."

Will placed his sandwich down on the table and looked up at Jack.

"That's great Jack, I'm thrilled for you.What did you _really _get up to last night?"

"I told you… I…"

Will raised his eyebrows.

"Damn that bitchy lawyer look! Its in the top five of my 'Most hated Facial Expressions of Will'" Jack slumped, resting his face into his palm. "I knitted while talking to Karen on the phone and watching Cabaret."

Will laughed. "Knitting while talking to your rich gal pal while watching Liza? Passing off as straight shouldn't be a problem for you if you tell people that. So, why the lies about last night?"

"I only wanted to make you kinda…jealous. Did I make you jealous?" Jack asked, excitedly.

"Slightly," Will replied, reaching up and fidgeting with the shirt of Jack's collar that was entrapped by the neckline of his navy blue vest. "until I realized that there were no numbers on your hand, you didn't smell like you had exclusively switched to cigarettes instead of oxygen, and not a speck of glitter can be seen on your entire body."

Jack pushed Will's hand away from his collar and fixed it himself before leaning forward to peck him on the lips.

"I have to get back to work." Jack said, sliding off the desk.

"And by 'work' you mean…?"

"Visiting Karen and checking out Grace's new doozy of an outfit. Karen and I have a feeling that today's number will be at least an 8 out of 10."

"Just make su…"

"Make sure I don't let it slip that we've been doing…whatever we've been doing for the past month and a half, _I know_" Jack recited.

Will stood up and walked up to Jack who had begun to head over to the door. He pulled him into an embrace and kissed his cheek.

"Have a good day, sweetie."

"I would say the same to you, but I already KNOW that your day has been good. I mean, c'mon, you were lucky enough to have a piece of Jack McFarland."

Will grinned and resumed his position at the desk as Jack sauntered out of the office.

* * *

"Oh my…You haven't had sex in two months!" Karen cried.

Jack's face became a mask of shock. He had only just entered the place, his hand was still on the doorknob and he hadn't even stepped into the office yet when he was sprung.

"Shhh Karen, I don't want the whole world to hear! He said, running over to her desk.

"The whole world meaning me? Grace asked.

Jack spun around. "Hmm I'll give her about a 7 Kare, I think the colour is what saves her."

Karen nodded as Grace grabbed another pencil and continued to work.

"I demand you have sex tonight!" Karen stated.

"No, I'm busy tonight."

"Wha…? Busy? Since when?"

Jack's heart sunk at the fact that he had to continuously lie to his friends. _This sucks!_

"I have one of my boyfriends coming over."

"Yay! Sex!" Karen cheered, clapping.

"No, we probably won't have sex…we will probably just hang out or something."

Karen dramatically put her hand to Jack's forehead.

"Are you sick? Is it bad? Are you going to die?"

Jack rolled his eyes as he knocked his friend's hand out of the way.

"Its nothing, I just haven't felt like…you know…in a while…is that weird?" Jack's face suddenly became serious. _Oh no. It's Will! Its rubbed off on me! _

"Yes." Came the reply in unison from the two girls.

Jack nodded and turned around and left, surprising the two girls.

Once the door had closed, Karen picked up her nail file and resumed filing her nails.

"Something's up with him and I don't like it."

"Oh has Miss Walker suffering a little bit of hag jealousy?" Grace teased, knowing perfectly well that she was being hypocritical.

"Hey Grace?" Karen said, ignoring the comment. Grace was taken aback by Karen's sudden genuineness.

"What?" Grace asked cautiously.

"Has um…my…you know…I hate saying it but…my…daughter called?"

A large smile crossed Grace's face. _Karen has feelings! _She sung in her head. She was always satisfyingly surprised when Karen resembled a human being.

"No, she hasn't" Grace responded.

"Oh…" Karen tried to hide her disappointment. "So, what do you think is wrong with Jack?"

"So the guy doesn't feel like sex! No need to get all jealous and possessive!" Grace scoffed as she picked the phone up to call Will.

He picked up.

"Hello?"

"Give me the full hello Will, you know I like it." Grace teased.

"No"

"Please?"

"Fine. Good afternoon, you've reached Will Truman's office." He said in a polite, sing song voice.

Grace laughed. "That is such a queer voice, I think you need to butch it up."

Will was offended. "It's a nice voice, it's a friendly and warm voice that everybody loves!"

"So…are we on for tonight?"

"Ah…I can't, sorry…I have…things to do. You know, work work work." He breathed out quickly.

Grace nodded and resumed talking to him for a few minutes before saying goodbye.

"Something's going on with Will, and I don't like it!"

"That's my girl." Karen giggled.

* * *

_But of all these friends and lovers  
There is no one compares with you  
And these memories lose their meaning  
When I think of love as something new  
Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life I love you more_

The lyrical music and credits began to roll as Jack an Will sat on Jack's couch, Jack resting his head on Will's chest.

"Jack, were you crying?" Will asked.

"No." Jack sniffled.

"I think the wet patch on my shirt where your face is begs to differ."

Jack buried his face in Will's shirt to wipe his eyes. Will laughed.

"I wouldn't be laughing Truman, you cried too."

"No…I didn't!"

"Then why did your voice just go up an octave and why are you holding a tissue?"

Will knew he was sprung. He faced Jack, whose eyes were still red rimmed from crying and felt the sudden urge to scoop him up in his arms and protect him. Which is what he did.

"Can we tell Karen and Grace yet?" Jack asked quietly, slowly dozing off.

"I don't think we should." Came the sleepy answer.

Jack sat up and shifted away from Will, causing him to feel cold without his friend's body to warm him.

"What?" Will questioned when Jack angrily stood up and stalked over to the kitchen.

"Forget it, I'm sick of arguing. I'm gonna go to bed."

Jack left Will standing alone in the apartment as he changed into his pyjamas in the bathroom. When he returned, he was surprised, yet a little flattered to see that Will was still there. Pretending to still be annoyed, Jack rolled his eyes at Will and jumped into his bed. Will followed and sat on the bed, tucking Jack in.

"I know you're not mad Jack. You haven't screeched yet."

Jack turned so his back was facing Will.

"I see someone is playing the diva with PMS tonight. Fair enough. I'll let you have your beauty sleep." Will grinned as he leaned over to kiss Jack on the cheek. "I love you." He whispered into his friend's ear, and was instantly shocked at what he had just let slip.

"What did you just say?" Jack said, wide eyed.

Will nervously stood up and spun on his heels and ran out of the door.

_Behind the Fat: The REAL Will Truman. _Jack giggled to himself as he snuggled down into his bed and began to doze off.

_Though I know I'll never lose affection  
For people and things that went before  
I know I'll often stop and think about them  
In my life I love you more  
In my life I love you more_

* * *

Will entered his apartment and leaned with his back against the door. His head was spinning and his mind was racing with the excitement and fear of what he just realized. His breathing began to return to regularity when Grace appeared from behind the couch, causing Will to squeal.

"Who is he?"

"Huh?"

"Will, I know you're seeing someone."

Will walked past her, avoiding eye contact.

"Your crazy. Big day at the office, that's all. Dammit woman, get in there and make me a sandwich." Will joked as he sat down at the kitchen table. "Actually, ew, don't"

"You can lie all you want Will. I promise that I am going to butt out. Once you come to my event tomorrow night."

Will loosened his tie and buried his face in his hands, peeking through his fingers at Grace, scared of what she had planned.

"What's the event?" he mumbled.

A defiant and proud look crossed her face. _I win! _

"I booked us a table at that cute little Karaoke restaurant. Me, Karen, Josephine, You and Mr. X and Jack and his boyfriend…did you know he is seeing someone now?"

Will focused his eyes on the coffee cup that was sitting on the table in order to stop himself from cracking up. "No, I didn't."

Grace gave Will a smug smile. _I know more about Jack than you. Yes Will Truman, we know who REALLY has the upper hand here!_

"How did you know I was seeing someone?"

Grace scoffed. "Who else would draw hearts on the margins of their paper like a lame teenage girl?"

Will hung his head in shame.

* * *

xx

**Next chapter: **Karaoke night truly trials Jack's patience and Grace finds herself in a dilemma


	11. Hokey Pokey Karaoke

_No matter what they tell us  
No matter what they do  
No matter what they teach us  
What we believe is true_

"Not a Japanese person in sight. What type of Karaoke restaurant is this? It's amateur I tell you…amateur! And WHERE THE HELL IS WILL?" Grace panted, irritated by the fact that her best friend was currently pulling a 'no-show'.

Her eyes darted around the table, Karen, Josephine and Jack all sat watching her. _Why does this mean so much to me? Where is the garlic bread I ordered 20 minutes ago? Someone is going to pay! _

The sound of a terrible attempt at 'I Will Survive' belted out by a young, drunken woman filled the room, adding to the inescapable, but amusing atmosphere.

"What's with the craziness, lady in red?" Jack questioned, folding his napkin neatly.

Grace sighed. "I just wanted tonight to go right, you know?I wanted to meet the men in your life, you know, to take interest…and Will doesn't even show up!"

"I'm sorry that Pierre couldn't make it, or Josh…or Damien or…"

"…or any other remotely homosexual man within the perimeter of the city" Karen chimed in.

"It's fine. I'm not angry at you anymore. I'm angry at Will… and the DAMN GARLIC BREAD!"

"It's not Will's fault that the bread hasn't come yet" Josephine said.

"It's ALWAYS Will's fault!" The three adults replied in unison.

At that instant, the door of the restaurant swung open and Will hurried over to the table. Josephine sunk back into her chair, skeptical of whether to speak again.

"Wow, when I've got friends that speak so highly of me, it's a wonder why I didn't blow off my work meeting and come straight here." Will said, pulling out a chair next to Jack and sitting down. Jack shifted his chair a little away from Will and looked at him. His face lit up briefly before he quickly smothered his expression with a look of distaste.

_No matter what they call us  
However they attack_

"So where's your man?" Jack asked smugly.

"He couldn't make it, sorry." Will replied, staring directly at Jack.

"Of course he couldn't!" Grace said sarcastically through a cheesy grin.

"Is he at least hot?" Karen asked, not really interested, as her body was facing towards the stage, her eyes fixated on the pitiful endeavors at singing. "Good Lord, where do these people come from?"

"Of course he is hot! The guy is a dreamboat!" Jack exclaimed. "It's surprising that Will could even pull someone that incredibly good looking!"

Grace's eyes widened. "You've met him?"

Jack leaned back in his chair. "Sugar, I introduced them."

_No matter where they take us  
We'll find our own way back_

* * *

_I can't deny what I believe  
I can't be what I'm not  
I know my love forever  
I know, no matter what_

"Will, this is more ridiculous than the fact that Lindsay Lohan is allowed to release singles!" Jack cried. He and Will had managed to steal a few minutes together by using the old 'going to the bathroom' deception.

"Jack please, just…I'm not ready to tell them yet." Will pleaded.

"How much more ready do you need to be?"

Will squinted his eyes at Jack as he leaned in close to inspect his face. Jack nervously looked around.

"What? What are you looking at? Stop it!" Jack said angrily, hitting Will's shoulder.

"Are you wearing eyeliner?"

Jack froze for a second. _Sprung! _He quickly began to speak again.

"Dammit Will! Where's your focus!"

Will smirked, amused at the fact that his boyfriend was wearing makeup. He reached out and took Jack's hand.

"I'm sorry. What do you want?"

"Why can't we tell them?"

Will sighed. "Because…because every time I tell people about my relationships, it always ends up getting jinxed and ending soon after. I want something to work for once!"

"But you're Will Truman! Nothing is meant to work for you."

Will rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"What I mean is…" Jack filled in quickly. "…That nothing has ever worked for you: the lack of hair, the body, the stalker smile, the la…"

"Well when you put it that way" An unenthused Will cut in, crossing his arms.

Jack ignored him. "And everything always works out for me; in every direction…put us together…something is bound to balance out…right?"

Will was shocked at Jack's sudden switch to seriousness. He wasn't particularly sure if he liked it or not, seeing as it was the outrageous and immature Jack McFarland that he had originally fallen in…well in _love _with. It killed Will to know that he was upsetting his love…the feeling tore at his chest, but he knew that telling the girls wouldn't stitch that hole up.

Will reached over and rested his hand on the back of Jack's neck.

"I just don't think I'm ready to tell them tonight."

Jack nodded. _Dammit Will! Why can't you just deal with the fact that for once, something MIGHT go your way? And why can't you learn to buy better socks? These ones I stole suck!_

"Thank you." Will muttered softly, before turning around to leave the bathroom.

* * *

_If only tears were laughter  
If only night was day  
If only prayers were answered  
Then we would hear God say_

As they sat at the table, Will could see that Jack was obviously trying to mask his annoyance with a fake smile. He hadn't said two words directly to Will since they had left the bathroom.

"So Karen, what _was_ going through your mind when the pyramids were built?" Will joked, avoiding eye contact with his love.

Karen laughed loudly, before leaning towards her daughter.

"See Josephine, in adult language, this is what is considered a Bitch."

"Bitch is the Latin word for Will Truman." Jack giggled.

Will tolerated the direct stab, knowing that Jack had a right to be mad, but wishing that he would understand just a little more.

Jack was becoming increasingly frustrated. He hated feeling restricted in _anything, _(including underwear)let alone about who he was with. _That's it. _He thought, standing up.

"I've just realized something. I've gotta go." He said to his friends at the table.

"Now?" a disappointed Grace asked.

"I feel like I'm in the closet again, and I would rather forget the whole thing ever happened, rather than feel that way twice" He said softly. Will's eyes snapped straight over to Jack as only he understood the comment. The other three girls at the table just looked at each other with confused expressions.

"Poodle, It's just karaoke!" Karen cried as Jack spun around and started to leave the restaurant.

_And I will keep you safe and strong  
And shelter from the storm  
No matter where it's barren  
A dream is being born_

Will anxiously looked around. _Once again, another 'Will Truman failure'. _An instant idea slapped him across the face and he sprung up out of his chair and took to the luckily unoccupied stage. He flicked on the microphone, his hands shaking.

"Jack!" he panted, causing Jack to take his hand off the door and face Will from across the room.

"When the night, has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see…"

"Will, shut up…" Jack said through gritted teeth. He gave an embarrassed wave to the new audience they had acquired: the whole restaurant.

"I'll shut up if you stay…just…listen. Please?"

"As long as you don't sing."

"Jack, I think we can all agree that I…well…kind of…missed the love department of the mall."

Karen laughed loudly. "ah, this guy. He gets me every time!"

"…anyway. I was scared in fear of this failing…but I see that my fear could be the direct cause of losing the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Um, Will? Can you please speak coherent English so I don't have to decode things? I'm too lazy" Grace said.

Will ignored her. "Jack McFarland. I love you. And I don't care who knows it."

The room was silent. Grace looked at Karen.

"You can tell to the second, where, when, and how many times people have had sex…but you COULDN'T see that one coming?"

* * *

_No matter who they follow  
No matter where they lead  
No matter how they judge us  
I'll be everyone you need_

The door of the apartment slammed. In a whirlwind of eagerness, they were suddenly swept away by the pulsation of emotion. Jack's back was pressed against his door, as Will 's supported himself by leaning his hand on the door, to the side of his boyfriend's head. Their mouths connected in an impassioned kiss. Will began to place soft kisses down the side of Jack's neck, as Jack whispered into the ear of his soon-to-be lover.

"I love you too."

Will stopped and stared at Jack, their faces inches apart, both men panting softly, regaining breath from the suddenness of it all. This was real, yet somehow so unbelievable.

"You have a smudge." Will chuckled as he wiped off Jack's makeup with his thumb. Jack swatted the hand out of the way as his hands found the buttons of Will's shirt.

_No matter if the sun don't shine  
Or if the skies are blue  
No matter what the end is  
My life began with you_

_I can't deny what I believe  
I can't be what I'm not,  
I know this love's forever  
That's all that matters now  
No Matter What_

* * *

Grace fretfully paced around her office, searching for her cell phone. She hated being in there at night and she regretted leaving the phone there accidentally.

The phone shrieked, causing her to jump. She picked it up.

"Hello, Grace Adler Designs, Uh Grace speaking."

"Ah so I do have the right place." The man's voice was British, she detected. "Well Miss Adler, if you can stand to bear with me for a few minutes, I have an amazing job perspective for you that would really be quite foolish of you to turn down…"

"I'm listening…"

* * *

**Next Chapter: **The boys insecurities about eachother are brought into the light by Karen and Grace. Grace has a tough decision to make


	12. Hag Swap & Irkings

_Hey guys! _

_There are a few chapters to go now, as it is based over the period of a year :)_

_Hope you enjoy this, and thanks for reviewing!_

_**LJstagflower4e:** Thank you so much love! Thank you for your opinions on all my chapters and I hope not to disappoint :)_

_**GraceAdler:** Haha thanks! the Lindsay Lohan comment was a personal opinion...its fun to let bitchiness shine through Jack's character! im thrilled you are loving it and I hoped you enjoyed the tea you were drinking!_

_xx_

* * *

It had been nearly three weeks since Grace had received the Job proposition and for those three weeks she constantly pondered whether to tell Will about it or not, but she knew that his voice of reason would guilt her into turning it down. The man, Ashton Blake, told her that she had a month to decide whether she was going to take the job, and then 2 months to prepare. If she was to take it, she would have to move to England for 5 months, meaning that she would be away until next January. She knew that Will wouldn't be able to cope without her for that long, and she without him. _How can I leave? We are each others life support! Take that away and it's flat lining for both of us! But I need this. I need to be away. I need…change._

"What's with the 'Days Of Our Lives' pondering look into the distance?" Will questioned her, as he took a sip of his coffee at the kitchen table.

"It makes me look sophisticated." Grace covered up.

"Cate Blanchett is sophisticated. _That_ is not sophisticated. What's really going on?"

Before Grace could answer, Jack bounced through the door.

"Morning lovers, I just thought I'd swing by for some breakfast and dysfunction"

A confused look crossed Grace's face. "Aren't you two…?"

"Yes, but c'mon! you of all people should know that Will is a snorer!" Jack responded.

"Yeah, and Jack thinks that sticking his ass out in the fetal position is his idea of evenly sharing the bed space!" Will snapped back as Jack ran over to the fridge.

"Yeah and Will seems to think that because he chooses to sleep in shorts, which is a comedy in itself, that he earns the right to the blankets."

"And Ja…"

"Ok, Ok!" Grace cut in. "I don't need to know your bedroom details."

"We weren't giving them to you." Will answered.

"I know, but what I'm saying is…I don't _need _them." She said slowly, nodding.

"That's great…because you're not getting them."

"But if you were to give them to me…I'd listen, but I don't need to hear them."

Jack walked over and with a concerned look, leaned over and whispered loudly to Will. "I think she is trying to hint something, but I don't know what. I guess I'm just distracted by the way she is eating that doughnut. Surprising how more of it is on her pyjamas than down her throat."

Will looked up at Jack. "Sweetie, have I ever told you how intelligent you really are?"

"No"

"Ever wondered why?"

Jack took the insult into account before shaking his fist at Will. "I swear…if you weren't paying for my gym membership, this would be over. I am a genius in my own right!"

"I suppose its true Will," Grace smiled, leaning back in her chair. "Just ask him anything about the backstreet boys, from the hair dye to package size…Jack will have the answer."

Will grinned as Jack pouted before crossing his arms defensively. _You're hilarious…No really, you're just too funny_, Jack thought to himself.

Will stood up and put his arm around Jack, pulling him in close.

"It's alright darling, you are the Aristotle…or the Gandhi or the Plato…the pillar of knowledge… for all teenage girls."

Jack jumped away from Will as if he had been scolded by poison. "Well, as fun as it has been this morning, getting ego bashed really wasn't on my 'to do' list. But wait! what is this?" Jack questioned, reading an imaginary list. "Hit Will, remind him how lucky he is to have you and leave with dignity. Hmmm"

Once reading out his imaginary list, he followed it by firstly slapping his lover lightly across the cheek, then giving him a quick peck on the mouth before spinning around, throwing his chin up and parading out of the apartment proudly. When the door slammed, a tender smile surfaced on Will's face as he shook his head in amazement. _Adorable or insane? Which is he?_

"What have I got myself into?"

The door suddenly opened a little and Jack sheepishly poked his head through the door.

"Are we still on for this afternoon, G?"

Grace nodded. "You betchya"

Jack shuddered at her enthusiasm before grinning like an idiot. "Swell!" He shut the door, leaving the two friends to complete their breakfast.

"This afternoon?" Will inquired.

"Girls day out."

"huh?"

"We get our hair fixed and our bodies waxed every second month together. I can't believe you're surprised… I thought you knew, Will!"

"I'm more surprised at the fact that you actually wax regularly, I can't tell! Well, I guess it explains why an adequate chunk of my pay goes missing every second month…and it's not even from the little account I dedicate to you and Jack either."

"So it seems you will be spending lunch alone today?"

"I have a meeting with the giant, saber toothed, heartless Vampire Bat."

"Ouch. The boss?"

"No. Worse…"

Grace looked quizzically at Will before understanding. They both nodded knowingly at each other before announcing in unison:

"Karen."

* * *

Jack leaned over the counter of the beauty salon to address the girl behind it.

"Excuse me miss!" He said in a lowered tone, so Grace wouldn't hear. Grace was in awe, staring at a girl that was getting her hair dyed.

The receptionist looked up. "Ah yes, Jack. What is it?"

"Oh Lisa, you know me too well. See my friend over there? Let's call her Betty shall we?"

"Her name is Grace. She's on the appointment list."

Jack paused briefly. "…So anyway…Betty has joined me and would like a bikini, leg and Jew-stache wax please."

The girl smirked. "Jew-stache?"

"Comes with the territory, you know what I mean?"

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Sit down Jack."

"Fine."

* * *

"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up!" Karen snarled.

"I'm ten minutes early Miss Walker." Will said casually, placing his brief case down and preparing to sit down.

"Don't take that tone with me! Hey! I didn't say you could sit down!"

"Huh?"

"Turn, boy, Turn." Karen demanded.

Will was extremely confused, but obeying his client, he turned on the spot slowly before plonking himself down.

"Not bad." Karen grinned.

Will rolled his eyes and poured himself some water. "So, what do you want from me this time?"

* * *

"I do NOT have a moustache! God Jack! That was so EMBARRASSING!"

"Don't you?" Jack said sneakily, pretending to stroke a moustache on his own face.

"No!"

They walked down the street, in search of a café to enjoy the mandatory coffee and cake at. They walked quietly for a short period before Grace decided to speak.

"Hey Jack…" She questioned. "How...how are you and Will going?"

"Fine. Why? Did he say something? What did he say? Speak girl!" Jack snapped with panic. _Oh no!_

Grace was taken aback. "He said nothing. Relax, Paranoia! Just…you know how possessive Will can get and all."

"I know he can! With the whole 'Oh Jack, stop using my sink to wash your clothes. Stop making fun of my job. Stop pretending like you can't hear me when I try to talk about my problems blah blah." Jack imitated. "God! The man can be a real drainer!"

_Am I complaining about him? Already?_

Grace turned to him. "But…you knew that. I know it can get annoying, just think of how annoying it will get down the track. You're so…free and he's so… 'Let's suffocate people until they have no air supply and then keep them in a snaplock bag' … Maybe you guys should have a chat? Are you gonna let him get that controlling on you?"

Jack thought for a second. _It does make sense I suppose…I mean he is only driving me slightly crazier than usual…but that always happens early in a…relationship thing…right? Right? _He reasoned with himself before stopping in his tracks.

"I think he and I gotta have a tiny talk."

* * *

"So Truman…does my Jackie knock your socks off?"

"You are my client. You are not allowed to pry." Will said matter of factly.

"Honey, I don't pry. The bugs & cameras I set up around your apartment do all the pryin' for me."

Will was shocked. "WHAT? Even in my bedroom?"

Karen nodded, smiling broadly. "But of course. And let me say…Good. For. You."

Will couldn't help but grin. He quickly smothered it so Karen couldn't see, but Karen caught it and pretended that she didn't.

"That boy is one hell of a kisser and fondler." She said, before leaning back seductively in her chair and fanning herself off. Will too pictured himself kissing Jack softly, and lightly stroking his back. He pictured Jack grabbing the back of his hair passionately and dragging him to the bed. He pictured… Jack and squirmed in his chair a little. After a few seconds of heated silence, Karen looked to Will.

"You know Jack isn't the…serious type?"

"Karen, the man can't hold a straight face when he sees a bra."

Karen giggled before answering. "I mean serious as in…serious. Do you really see yourself being with Jack forever?"

Will paused for a second. "Well…I'd like to…"

"Can you see yourself sharing a kid with Jack, sharing…well everything with Jack for the rest of your life?"

"Well, Jack is good with Elliot and…"

"Most of all…do you think that Jack has plans to settle down eventually with the life that you want?" Karen said before taking another sip of her martini.

Will was dumbfounded; Firstly at the fact that Karen was speaking sense, and secondly at the fact that he had never thought of it from this angle before. _Where is it going? What will happen? Is he as serious as I am about this?_

"I think…I think I have to talk to him." Will said slowly, a strange sadness lurking in his heart.

"Talk to who honey? About what?" Karen asked.

"Talk to Jack, about what you just said."

"I said something?"

Will rolled his eyes and rested his face in his palm as worry seeped in and tapped at his skull, threatening to plague his perplexed mind.

* * *

Grace eagerly tapped the bench of the bathroom bench as her cell rang out. She had stolen a few seconds away from Jack and was just about to hang up the phone when…

"Hello, Ashton Blake speaking."

"Hello Mr Blake…its me…Grace Adler…I have seriously considered your job proposal and I have to say that…"

* * *

**Next Chapter: **next one is a 2 part chapter - 1st half: A dinner with Will and his family plant ideas in Will's head about his relationship with Jack, and how to make it last, leaving Jack to freak out. Grace has come to her decision and briefly tries to talk to Karen about it.


	13. All In a Hard Night's Work Pt1

_**Song: **I Can't Live If Living is Without You. M. Carey_

_

* * *

_

_You know I can't forget this feeling_

_Or your face as you were leaving_

_But I guess that's just the way the story goes_

_You always smile_

_But in your eyes_

_Your soul shows, yes it shows_

Will sat on his balcony, allowing the cool trickle of night air envelop him, creating a desirable contrast with the actual warmth of the night. It was verging on summer, he knew it, the weather knew it, but he wished with all his might that he could return to Winter. Winter seemed to be the fitting surrounding to complement his disposition. His brain raced over the nights events. _How can everything run smoothly one second, then hit a big ass ditch the next? Well I suppose something had to go wrong…since when did ANYTHING in the history of my entire existence work without a glitch? _

He pulled a leaf off one of the plants and started to pull it apart, piece by piece as he traced back in his mind what the hell went wrong tonight.

* * *

"Jack, relax, you have met my family hundreds of times…why is it such a big deal now?" Will yelled at the bathroom door. 

"Because I was never your boyfriend then. Slapping the word 'boy' in front of my introduction opens up a whole new nightclub of comparison!"

Will was flattered that Jack was nervous, but also highly amused. He knocked on the door again, his mind packed with all the possibilities of what could perhaps be taking Jack so excruciatingly long to get ready. Makeup? Shaving? Plotting? He needed to be at his mother's house in twenty minutes for the family dinner which consisted of his mother, his once - estranged brother Sam (yes, the one Grace slept with) and his new girlfriend Anna and his annoying brother Paul and his wife Peggy and their baby…_Fun for all!_

Truth was, he had never really brought a man (since Michael) to his place for dinner, in dreaded fear of them being scared off and fear of his family feeling uncomfortable by the whole scenario…but Jack knew him and his family better than anyone else, except for Grace of course.

"Jack please just throw on _something_ and get out of there! You'll look great either way…I hope"

The lock clicked and the door swung open.

"You _hope_? What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Jack screeched, his hand resting on his hip as he lingered in the doorway. He was wearing black pants and a light blue shirt, covered with a charcoal vest. Will grinned.

"It means that ow, don't do that near my ear ever again and that I am extremely thankful that the door didn't just open to a sequin dress and pumps."

Jack squinted his eyes angrily and tried to storm past Will, but Will quickly caught on and blocked the doorway, not allowing Jack through.

"Just relax, ok sweetie? They love you already." Will said tenderly, scooping Jack's face in his palms and kissing him briefly.

Jack rolled his eyes, pulling Will's hands down into his own. "Well I don't blame them, who could hate this killer smile?" He said, providing an example.

"And you know, even if they don't adore you, just remember that I do, and you're ten times the girl that Sam's girlfriend is anyway…she's a buffed up swimmer, with shoulders that look like natural shoulder pads." Will replied, mumbling quickly and rushing off to grab their jackets before Jack could respond.

Jack opened his mouth wide and stormed out after Will.

* * *

Grace put down her pencil and looked over at Karen who was contently pouring her chosen quantitiesfor the creation of her martini. Grace watched the process in awe as Karen pulled out the vodka bottle from under her chair and added it to the bottle of dry Vermouth. 

"Hey Karen?"

"Yes honey?" An uninterested Karen responded.

"Can I ask you something?"

Karen's concentration was focused heavily on the amounts of drink she was pouring into her glass. "If it's about your skirt being too short then yes, it is Skanktastic."

"That's enough Karen, I'm trying to ask you something serious."

"Whoreright."

"Karen…"

"Hoe-kay, Hoe-kay."

"KAREN!"

"Yes?"

"Good. Ok..." Grace sighed. "What…what would you do if I errr…went away for a little while?"

Karen looked up and stared at Grace for a minute. Before a knowledgeable look painted itself across her face and she nodded, grinning and tapping her nose.

"Ah…away. I understand.You never struck me as the type. Then again, they never do. Wow, my little Gracie in rehab and I never noticed it." Her face crumpled. "I think I'm gonna need some fresh air…in my limo. I'll get Driver to put the air con on. Oh Lordy!"

Karen rushed out of the office leaving a confused and unfulfilled Grace behind. _I needed to tell SOMEONE! I need advice! I need…that's it! I'm telling Will and he is gonna be happy for me because I am excited and even he can't bring me down._ Grace thought to herself as she slammed her pencil down on the desk, and to her surprise the pencil broke.

"Whoever thought I could do that?"

* * *

"Well, I suppose dinner went alright?" Will said to Jack when they had finally stolen a minute alone together in the lounge room of the house. 

"Alright? I was so nervous that I missed my mouth with the soup and I was shaking like a junkie! And then your mother asked stupid questions like 'are you taking care of yourself Jackie? So, is my Will romantic?' What the hell could I say?"

"Nothing at all." Will smiled, wrapping his arms around Jacks waist. "People like you better that way."

"Hey hey hey! Don't get so grabby at the Mother Lion's den!" Jack laughed nervously, shoving Will off him in embarrassment.

At that moment, Peggy came running in, carrying her baby daughter. She hurriedly thrusted the baby into a shocked Jack's arms and ran out of the door. Paul came into the room after her and faced Will and Jack.

"We have a meeting to go to, do you mind just putting her to sleep for us? We'll be back in an hour."

"Put her to sleep? You mean put her down? That is disgusting! I don't kill things, its bad karma, sorry Paul."

Paul wasn't sure whether Jack was serious or not, but he gave a quick laugh and sprinted out of the door, leaving Jack to sit down with the crying baby in his arms.

"You do know he meant putting the baby to bed…right?" Will asked, a little unsure.

"Of course! What kind of an idiot do you take me for!" Jack laughed. _Thank God! I don't have to kill a baby. Relief!_

"Just hold on, I'm gonna go talk to Mom, I'll be back in a few minutes ok?" Will said, highly amused at the fact that Jack was so annoyed at having to look after a child.

"Be quick, Truman."

Jack felt really uneasy with the baby, and sat her on his lap. He stared into her crying face, and as a shock to himself, he felt his heart cry too. His face suddenly softened as he held her more gently to support her back.

"I know, I know. I cried when I saw Will's outfit too." He said to the child.

"Who dresses you? Because this shade of pink looks fabulous on you!" He giggled, playing with the pink jumpsuit the child was wearing. The baby eventually stopped crying, relieving Jack.

_Oh God Oh God Oh God what do I do now?_

He cursed Will in his mind for bailing on him and the kid, and decided that he had no other choice but to sing to her. So he did softly….and he swore he saw her give him an appreciative, contented smile. He grinned at the baby as she began to doze off, cradled in his arms. He felt himself beginning to doze off too.

"You're not so bad a kid when you shut up, you know that?"

Will had been watching the past few minutes from the doorway, and felt a whole new admiration and adoration for Jack flow into his heart. _He's great with children, why on earth wouldn't he ever want them?_

He couldn't help but allow a smile stretch across his face as he walked over to his boyfriend on the couch. He leaned over the back of it and kissed Jack on the cheek.

"What was that for, Will?"

"I think she likes you." _This is exactly what I want. Maybe not now…but eventually. Can't we be like this? Can Jack ever adapt to this?_

"Of course she likes me, William. Girl intuition. She told me that she thinks you should never ever let those pants venture away from the closet ever again."

* * *

_No I can't forget tomorrow_

_When I think of all my sorrow_

_When I had you there but then I let you go_

_And now its only fair that I should let you know_

_What you should know_

Later that night, Will lay down in his bed, reading a novel when a frustrated Jack entered his room and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Monster under your bed? Did you have that nightmare about naked women again? Boogey man in your closet?" Will questioned unenthusiastically, refusing to look up from his book.

"You are so funny. Wait for it…did you hear that? That was the sound of my side splitting from laughter."

Will put down his book and faced his lover.

"What's wrong then?"

"I was bored. That's all. And there was nothing on Tv, nothing to read, nothing to dance to, no one to call…so I came to my last resort."

"I'm touched." Will said. He pulled Jacks arms, so Jack was laying half on top of him, his head resting on his boyfriend's chest. Both of them closed their eyes.

"Glad to see you can touch yourself" Jack giggled, knowing that he was only funny to himself.

Will could not remove the image of Jack and the baby girl from of his mind. Every time he thought of it, a new wave of warmth pulsated through his veins, creating tingles throughout his whole body. He breathed in deeply, before kissing top of the head of his love.

"New shampoo?" Will asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Smells different…I think I have been around you too long." Will chuckled.

"God, I know. I even know your daily work schedule." Jack replied.

Will shook his head. "I know your daily underwear choices. Monday - blue, Tuesday - red, Wednesday- white, Thursday - black, Friday - boxers, Saturday - commando and Sunday-hearts. Is that crazy?"

"Not as crazy as the fact that I know how many ties you have and the specific order you put them in. God! That's dreadful! It's a hop, cache and a jazz split away from marriage!" Jack joked lightly.

Will thought quietly for a moment before impulsively mumbling.

"Then why don't we?"

"What?"

"Get married?"

Jack bolted upright, fear pounding at his chest and his brain. He quickly stood up and pounced over to the other corner of the room, his eyes and mouth gaping open at Will from across the bedroom. _No! He did NOT just say that. Please don't tell me he just said that! No! Why?_

Jack's mouth suddenly became dry, before exclaiming, "Katie Holmes – Cruise!…What the hell did you just say?"

_To be continued…_

* * *

_**GracieAdler: **It's awesome to know that you are still liking this...theres about 5 chapters or so to go now. How were the Dorieto's? Thankyou so much for your review!_

_**LJstagFlower4e: **Thankyou! I'm so happy that you like this storyline! Thanks a billion for the review hun!_

**Next Chapter: **Jack tries to overcome the shock of Will's proposal the only way he sees fit: With a shocking proposal of his own. Grace wimps out and tries to avoid telling Will about her job, as Jack spends some good old quality time with Karen.


	14. All In a Hard Night's Work Pt2

_Hey once again guys!_

_enjoy...thus begins the slightly angstier part of my story..._

_

* * *

_

_I can't live if living is without you_

_I can't live, I can't live any more_

_Can't live if living is without you_

_Can't give, can't give anymore_

Jack tried to regain his breath from the shock of what Will had just proposed. _Marriage? Jack McFarland? Mismatch much?_ He stood on the opposite side of the room to his love and watched him closely. _Was he serious? _

Seeing Jack's reaction, Will instantly wished that he could chew up what he just said, but he knew that now the question had spilled out and was hanging there in limbo, ready to rear its ugly head and either make or break the couple.

He ripped the bed covers away from him as he knelt up on his bed.

After a few more moments of a much needed silence, Will tapped the space on the bed next to him.

"Jack, stop acting like I just told you I have acquired Leprosy, and come over here."

Jack hesitated for a second before walking over and plonking himself down next to Will, who in return pulled Jack into his arms. Will breathed in the scent of his love deeply, once again affirming just why he adored him so much.

"I didn't mean to freak you out, I just thought that it would have been the logical next step."

"I hate logic. Logic is an ugly, hairy man with glasses and a strange fetish for Brie cheese."

Will sighed before asking quietly. "So…I never asked?"

Jack nervously fidgeted with the buttons of his shirt. _Easy for you to say!_

"Never asked what?" He replied with the fakest smile he could possibly muster. _How the hell can I forget something like that?_

Will looked over to Jack again.

He leaned over and kissed Will on the forehead, and was suddenly filled with an eerie sadness. _I know what he wants, but I'm not that kind of girl._

"Will, its eleven, I have to go…I'll uh…be back later" Jack breathed in a rushed tone, jumping off the bed and leaving the apartment, leaving a confused Will to sit on his bed and ponder…alone.

* * *

"Kare, I really admire you, you know that? You've been married and you've stayed fabulous, how did you do it?"

"Maids and botox."

"Ah Botox… How can something that makes people so beautiful cause so many '60 minutes' episodes?"

"Feminists and Nazi's"

"I don't think there's many Nazi's left Karen, Duh! It's the Trojans…Maybe you should step outside, flip open a history book and learn about the world!"

"I was always bad at history. I always thought the Renaissance started in Italy"

Jack slapped his forehead. "Oh poor deprived Karen! Everyone knows it started in Manhattan in the 1960's!"

"Wow! How did you know that?"

"Easy. That's how long the Renaissance fair has been running there for!"

Karen giggled. "Aw Jackie, you keep me smart."

"And you keep me rich." Jack replied, grabbing both of Karen's hands. "Who needs marriage when we have each other?"

_There's no point in telling her about the situation, I suppose I will have to figure it out for myself. Jack McFarland, you are on your own…you are going solo; you are a lone wolf…and you also naturally possess the rugged hotness required for a man of this quality of course!_

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" Grace asked, curled up in bed. Will had switched on her light and jumped in her bed next to her.

"Nothing, just felt like a…casual one on one chat…you know?"

"It's 2 am. You don't bug me at crazy hours unless something is wrong or if there is an outrageous infomercial on or a raunchy subtitled movie is shown."

"Well I figured that if you do it to me all the time, why can't I do it to you? Why can't I wake you up in the middle of the night just for an inconvenient chat?"

"Because I'm sleeping!" _And I am trying to avoid telling you about my plans to leave._

Will nodded. "Have you heard from Jack?" he asked quietly.

Grace shook her head.

Will was beginning to feel a little edgy about Jack's whereabouts. He had tried knocking on Jack's door, but there was no response, and no lights. He tried calling Jack's apartment, only to obtain an identical result. _Where is he? What did I do?_

He couldn't shake the feeling that he had upset Jack, and he knew Jack needed space, but all he wanted right now was to hear a knock on the door to his apartment, and to go and open it and to see Jack standing on the other side of that door. He wanted Jack to run in and jump on Will, expecting him to support Jack's weight, in the excited way he used to if something fantastic happened.

Will breathed out and poured himself a glass of wine, before sitting down on the couch. _Maybe wine will help me sleep? I won't sleep until I hear Jack open his apartment door. But…what if he went out? _Will started to feel sick as his mind twisted into an ugly image of Jack kissing someone else and leading them into his room…

"More wine!" Will toasted to the empty room, which mirrored both the glass in his hand, and the way he felt without Jack.

* * *

_Well I can't forget this evening_

_Or your face as you were leaving_

_But I guess that's just the way the story knows_

_You always smile, but in your eyes_

_Your soul shows, yes it shows_

Will was just about to nod off to sleep when he heard a light tap at his door before the knob clicked. He tensed up and sat up on the couch, looking at the now half empty bottle of red sitting on his coffee table.

Jack opened the door quietly, hoping not to wake anyone up, but screamed when he saw Will. The door slammed behind him and he stood with his back against it, looking at Will.

"You…scared…the…Calvin…Kleins…off…me!"

Will smirked, but then allowed seriousness to curtain it. "Where the hell were you? I've been waiting up all night for you, I was worried sick…I tried to call you…I even left a message!"

"Wow, calm down lady! Menstrual cramps got you down?" Jack joked, before he too, became serious.

"What's going on, Jack?" Will asked after some silence.

"I…uh…read and sign this." He replied, placing a piece of paper on the coffee table.

"It's written in lipstick…'

"It's a nice shade too. Personal favourite."

Will rolled his eyes and picked up the paper. Jack stood with his arms crossed, looking away from Will.

Will's eyes widened.

_Dear Mr. William Truman_

_You have been involved in relations with a certain incredibly handsome individual named Mr. Jack McFarland for aproxxximately four to five months now…_

Will laughed at the spelling errors. "Let me guess, you took up the Primary school teacher's offer and slept with her?"

"Keep reading Mary Poppins!"

_...and it has come to Mr Mcfarland's attension that the duration of the courtship between you two has long exceeded its expiration. Mr McFarland now feels that the two of you should return to being best friends and to behayve as if no relationship ever took place. He refuses to end contakt with you, but feels that you need time apart, as he cannot give you what you need. Do not question this letter, but do take effort in questioning your weight and your dress sense._

_Sign here…_

After a few minutes of trying to decode what the letter was actually trying to say, Will stood up and walked over to Jack.

"No."

Jack stepped away. "Quit being such a politician and sign the damn paper Will!"

"Jack, this isn't some kind of Queerocracy! You have no reason to end this! You think some stupid piece of incoherent writing is gonna be the way we break up?"

"It's expensive lipstick! Just sign it please!" Jack begged, his voice cracking slightly.

Will felt his heart explode. He looked at his love he knew that it was his fault that Jack felt this way.

"Is this really what you want Jack? Do you want us to wake up tomorrow and just go back to the way we were four months ago?"

Jack bit his lip. _Don't make it hard Will! Of course I don't, you idiot! _

He nodded.

Will's face crumpled before turning cold. He picked up his pen that was lying on the table and signed it. For those few seconds, the scratching of the pen was the only noise that could be heard in the room, its echo seemed to clash loudly with the sounds of the night.

"There." Will said icily, shoving the paper into Jack's hands.

"Thank you."

Jack turned around to leave but was suddenly halted by Will reaching out and grabbing his arm.

"Don't…don't go yet."

"What?" Jack asked.

Will pulled Jack into a heated kiss. After enjoying the shock of it all, Jack pulled away.

"Goodnight Jack." Will said solemnly

"Goodnight Will." Jack said, turning and leaving…hoping for Will to cling onto him again, but knowing that he did what he felt he had to do.

The noise of the door closing echoed in Will's ears as he collected his bottle of wine and sat on the balcony, stunned.

"Cheers!" he toasted, once again, to no one.

* * *

Jack entered his apartment, and pushed 'Play' on the answering machine. His stomach lodged itself in his throat when he heard Will's voice.

"Hey Jack, It's me…there is this really funny woman on television that can't dance very well and she reminded me of you. Uh…I just wanted you to know that I called, and that I am wondering where you are and that I love you...Ahh the woman is eating a pie, she is hysterical! This is great! But I suppose her eating habits aren't all that different from Grace's…ahh…wait…is she stripping?…"

The machine clicked off.

"I suppose I love you too" Jackmumbled as he changed into his pyjamas.

* * *

Daylight was seeping through the cracks of the clouds and the stars had started to disappear. Will looked at the mass of torn leaves on the floor and picked them up, throwing them over the edge of the balcony. He watched them flutter down lightly into the street, where people were beginning to stir.

He walked inside, and crept into Grace's room, jumping into her bed. He put his arm around her.

"At least I'm stuck with you, thank God you're not going anywhere" He murmured soflty to her before dozing off.

Grace pretended that she never heard his comment.

_I can't live, if living is without you_

_I can't live, I can't live anymore_

_Can't live if living is without you_

_Can't give, can't give anymore_

* * *

_**LJStagFlower4e: **Hey! thanks! yeah I have posted this story at LJ...I remember your comments! thanks again, hope you still enjoy the story!_

_**GracieAdler: **That means so much, thanks a trillion! I'm glad you can relate this to the show...I'm a little worried about my characterisation, but anyhoo...Thanks again for your sweet review and im thrilled to bits that you are still liking it. Good to hear about the dorietos too._

_**Anonymous Reviewer: **Thanks! I understand that not everyone is into the Will/Jack paring, so I am very thankful that you reviewed despite not liking the pairing. I tried to give the girls some plot too, so I'm glad you're liking the Grace story...theres a bit more about her in the chapters to come. _

_xx_

**Next Chapter: **Grace finally tells Will about her plans to leave for 7 months and is shocked at his response. Karen tries to spend some more quality time with her daughter. Jack deals with his decision as Will recieves a surprising message from an old flame...


	15. Alone, Unknown, No Love Shown

Hey!

Yes, yet _another_ chapter! theres about 5 more to go folks :) :) :)

Hope not to disappoint...

**Song: '**The Special Two' - Missy Higgins

_

* * *

_

_I've hardly been outside my room in days_

'_Cos I don't feel that I deserve the sunshine's rays_

_The darkness helped until the whiskey wore away_

_And it's then I realized the conscience never fades_

Grace knocked on the door of Will's bedroom before allowing herself to enter.

"Isn't the point of knocking to let the person on the other side of the door decide if you can enter or not?" Will mumbled, his face buried in his pillow.

Grace walked into the dark, stuffy room and sat on her best friend's bed. She started to slowly pull Will's sheets off him when he snatched them and brought them to his face, curling up in the fetal position like a child.

"What is going on, Will?"

"Nothing"

"Yeah, ok, and I _don't_ pretend that I like caviar"

"You don't! When my mother served it, you rambled on about all the baby fish that could never join their pal Nemo because they were on your plate. And then when you actually _did_ try them, you complained that you could feel the fish hatching and swimming around in your stomach."

Grace's face crumpled. "I could!" She moaned stubbornly. "But that is sooo not the point!"

"Then pray tell, Miss Adler, what is the point?"

"Sit up, stop being little miss whingey whiney panties and talk to me."

"I'm not being whiney!" Will complained.

Grace knelt up in the bed and tried to pry the sheets away from Will's tight grasp.

"Stop it!" He squealed.

"Then let go!"

"Ow! You're hurting me!" Will replied, grabbing her wrist.

"You are such a child!" Grace exclaimed, tickling Will with her free hand.

Will giggled and kicked, eventually releasing his grasp on Graces wrist. When he did so, she ripped the sheet away from him, causing Will to sit upright.

"Fine. You get your way…again."

A smug smile allowed itself to leak onto Graces face. She sat cross-legged on the bed, next to Will and wrapped the sheet around them both. _Now's the time. _She thought. _It's either now or I will be over there telling him that I am working late. _

"Will…it's obvious that there is something wrong with both of us."

"Our whole relationship?"

"Besides that."

Will sighed and looked away. The only movement he had attempted all day was moving from Grace's bedroom to his own. It was now close to five in the afternoon, and he still felt as unfulfilled as he did all night.

"Are we doing the usual daily chat and tears then?" He asked his best friend.

"I suppose so." She responded.

"You first?"

Grace took a deep breath in, before huddling closer to Will in attempt of receiving more coverage from the blanket.

"Ok" She said softly. "You're my best friend in the whole wide world…you want to see me happy…right?"

"It depends really."

"Shut up. Your answer is yes." Grace snapped. "Well, Will…I have been offered the most amazing place to design. Imagine _double, _yes, DOUBLE Karen's mansion…I have been asked to design the interior of a place that size from scratch!"

Will watched the fire in his friend's eyes ignite as she spoke of her incredible opportunity. Her energy caught on and he too began to smile, as he took her hand into his own.

"That's amazing sweetie! What's the problem then?" He asked slowly, cautious of what may come next.

Grace laughed nervously. _Oh Crap._ "Ah…haha…you see…there's a catch."

"Isn't there always?"

"A big catch. I-have-to-go-away-to-England-for-five-months-or-so." She mumbled in a strung together sentence.

Will sat quietly for a minute or so. The silence almost killed grace as she gripped her best friend's hand tightly and squeezed it, more for her own reassurance than his. _React you stupid homo!_

Will nodded before quietly responding. "Ok, when do you leave?"

"Next week."

"Great. Congratulations."

_THAT'S IT! Does he not have a soul? He's supposed to do the usual thing and flip out! It's a lot more comforting for me that way._

"Thanks… Now what's going on with you? Why are you currently in hibernation?"

"I'm sleepy."

"Will!"

"But, I am having a shower now." He said, sliding off the bed and strolling down the hallway to the bathroom.

Grace jumped off the bed and followed. "You know I am not beyond coming in there Will!"

"I know, that's why I'm locking the door. The only way you can enter is if you find an axe, bash a hole in my wall and shove your head through saying 'Here's Johnny!'"

And with that, Will shut and locked the door of the bathroom, shutting him off from Grace once again.

Grace looked around. "Will a fire poker do?"

* * *

_When you're young you have this image of your life,  
That you'll be scrupulous and one day even make a wife.  
And you make boundaries you never dream to cross,  
And if you happen to, you wake completely lost_.

_But I will fight for you,  
Be sure that I will fight  
Until we're the special two once again..._

"Why are we at this bizarre mall place again?" Karen asked her daughter.

"Because you got your maid to call me and invite me here" Josie replied with a stand offish tone. She mixed the milkshake in front of her around with her straw, keeping her eyes off Karen.

"I did? This place reminds me of that show…Twighlight Zone. Yeah! Only, here you walk from normal everyday life into a world of fashion flops, mediocrity and mullets!"

"That's amazing, Karen." Josie mumbled.

Karen was a little taken aback by her daughter's attitude.

"Is…something…wrong? Are you stoned?" She questioned slowly.

"I wish!" Josie replied with frustrated sarcasm. She pulled the straw out of her milkshake and began to chew on it as she stood up, spun around and left Karen at the table.

After a few seconds of shock, Karen followed Josephine out of the mall and grabbed her arm.

"Listen missy! I don't _follow_ anyone except Mr Kabbalah, ok?"

"Forget it Karen, leave me alone." Josie spat out spitefully as she began to walk away again.

_Oh Lordy, a street scene! _Karen thought to herself. _I need a STRONG Manhattan after all of this effort!_

"Josephine! Just tell me your problem before I ruin thes…"

"Why didn't you ever call me? Why didn't you write? Why did it have to be _me _that had to find _you? _And most of all…why didn't you care?"

Josephine's eyes welled up with tears as she turned around to confront her stunned mother. Karen paused in shock. _My most despised human aspect: Emotions._

"I tried to forget, and thanks to that daily kick-starter Vodka, I was successful in doing so" she answered honestly.

"Karen, I can see so much of myself in you it drives me crazy. I love hanging out with you, but I hate that fact that this would never have happened if I had never taken the initiative."

Karen was dumbstruck.

"No words Karen? Great. I'm…I'm going home." Josie said, wiping her teary eyes, embarrassed about her passionate outburst. She quickly left, as Karen stood alone in the crowded street, waiting for her driver to arrive.

* * *

_And we will only need each other  
We'll bleed together  
Our hands will not be taught to hold another's  
Cos we're the special two_

For the first time that day, Will opened the door of his apartment. He cursed Grace for forcing _him _to get the milk. He was content with sitting on the couch drowned in his own thoughts while watching Oprah and reading gossip magazines about the failed relationships and diets of the celebrities. He peeked around the door, fearful that Jack would be in the hallway. Once assured that the coast was clear he stepped out into the hallway, the bright lights stinging his eyes.

Suddenly, the door of the lift opened. As it did, Will felt his heart speed up and bang at his chest before halting. It was Jack. _Of course! Why wouldn't it be? _He thought bitterly.

Jack's pale blue eyes settled on Will, and for a second, Will felt that Jack was going to throw his arms around him and act as if there was no stupid lipstick letter and that Will was insane for even _thinking_ that they were over.

Jack froze. _Help! What do I do? Its over. Friends. Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. Bruce and Demi. _He told himself as a smirk crossed his face.

"Looking fab, Truman…auditioning for the sequel to Dawn of The Dead?"

"Sorry I didn't have milk and cookies while reading Cinderella and then falling asleep with a night light"

Jack looked into the distance. "Ah, yes…Glass heels, A Fairy that gives you anything you want and a Handsome Prince that can horse ride…what more could any boy ever want?"

Will smiled a little and shook his head.

"I have to er…go get some milk. I'll see you around, Jack."

Jack smiled and took Will's hand and looked at it. Once he realized what he was doing, he quickly shifted his hand into a handshake position and shook Wills hand furiously.

_Bruce and Demi. Bruce and Demi._

"Running errands for the ol' Ball 'n Chain I see." Jack joked. "Yeah, seeya…pal."

Jack's emphasis on the word 'pal' caused both men to cringe inwardly as they parted.

_Jack McFarland. _He thought to himself as he searched hisscattered backpack for the key to his apartment. _You can be a real bitch sometimes._

_And we can only see each other  
We'll breathe together  
These arms will not be taught to need another's  
Cos we're the special two._

_

* * *

_

_I remember someone old once said to me,  
That lies will lock you up, with truth the only key.  
But I was comfortable and warm inside my shell,  
And couldn't see this place could soon become my hell._

"So Kare…What should us lonely, single girls do tonight?" Jack asked his friend as theylounged in the back of her limo.

"Oh poodle, I don't know…I don't really feel like doing much to be honest…maybe some tequila and a dirty movie?"

"Can we touch each other inappropriately while yelling out profanities at each other like married hetero's?" Jack questioned, his eyes lighting up a little.

"Maybe for a little bit. We need to watch something really scary…something that will make us scream…a good horror!"

"Uh…Glitter?" Jack suggested.

"Perfect!"

After a few moments of silence, Jack rested his head on Karen's shoulder.

"They don't end up happily ever after in that movie either."

Karen cut Jack off by taking his hand. "In all optimism honey, a tiny percentage of people do…almost as tiny as the percentage of people that actually liked Glitter."

"Well, if we are looking on the Brightside, at least they haven't adapted the film to Broadway yet."

_So is it better to tell and hurt, or lie to save their face?  
Well I guess the answer is don't do it in the first place.  
I know im not deserving of your trust from you right now,  
But if by chance you change your mind,  
You know I will not let you down,  
Coz we were the special two and will be again..._

* * *

Will re-entered his empty apartment and shoved the milk in the fridge.

"Grace! Dammit I get you milk and you're not even here? This is the last time I'm going alone! The creepy man at the store keeps asking me when I'm having my twenty-first birthday and if my hooker girlfriend with the red hair can dance at his buck's night."

No answer.

Will rolled his eyes and noticed a little red light flashing on the answering machine. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and pushed the button.

"Hi Will…Its me…Michael, sorry I didn't catch you."

Will choked on his mouthful of water.

"I was calling to tell you something. Uh…to tell you the truth…I'm…well I'm really scared Will. Please, call me back asap…I know this is insane, but…this is…well…I have…No! I'll tell you when you meet me. Please. Ok…well…bye then!"

Click.

Will didn't know what to think of the scattered message. He pushed the button again and replayed it, trying to assess what his ex-love was trying to tell him.

_I'll step outside my minds eyes, for a minute,  
And I look over me like a doctor looking for disease  
Or something that could ease the pain.  
But nothing cures the hurt that you bring on by yourself  
Just remembering, just remembering how we were_

* * *

Thanks for your reviews guys! and thanks for sticking with this story! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

_**LJStagFlower4e: **Thanks! yeah, Will is gonna go through the grinder a little..._

_**GracieAdler: **Sorry for the shock! I can't tell you if they are broken up for good or not, you will just have to wait and see in the last few chapters! Your 'novel of a review' was lovely! it made me feel great, so thankyou! Hope you still like the story:)_

_**Bee: **Oh wow, thanks love! I can't leave things unfinished...it irks me :)_

_**Sophoph:**A little bit of drama is always fun:) sorry to make you sad...as for the destiny of the couple, I suppose you'll have to wait and see:) Thanks for the review! _

_Sundown xx_

****


	16. New Horizons

Hey!

sorry this update took a little long...i promise to be more frequent with my updates!

This chapter may seem a little slow, but it sets up a basis for the ending...which is in about 4 or 5 chapters :)

Anyway, thanks to all of you who are sticking with this story...I hope you enjoy this!

Sundown xx

* * *

As he strolled down the white, clinical, echoing corridor, Will contemplated turning around and leaving the hospital. Curiosity was the only fuel propelling his legs to continue forward. _Why did Michael ask me to meet him here? What does he even look like now? Is he still with 'what's his name'?_

His search ended when he located the room number Michael had given him. He felt skeptical as he knocked on the wood, and closing his eyes, he reluctantly pushed the door open, bringing him face to face with his ex boyfriend.

Will gasped as he saw Michael, sitting up in his bed. A dark blue robe hung limply over the man's shoulders and seemed too harsh a contrast against the crisp white sheets.

Michael removed his focus from the magazine in his hand as his eyes settled on Will.

"Hey, Will" Michael greeted quietly as a sad grin surfaced upon his face.

Will froze, all he could hear was his own irregular breathing as he paced across the room and sat in the chair beside the bed. _My Michael?...Sick?_

He cleared his throat and indicated to the magazine. "I haven't read that issue of 'Who' yet…is it good?"

"Nice to know you haven't changed Will, it's really quite comforting actually"

"Huh?"

"You know that thing you always do…where you try to avoid what's really going on by focusing on the trivial things?…it just makes things easier, and I always envied you for that."

Will nodded and kept his eyes on the floor.

"Why didn't you contact me sooner?"

"Because I didn't know sooner"

"Why did you really invite me here?"

"Will?"

His speech quickened. "I mean, it's great to see you and all, but is this some kind of prank? It's funny but c'm…"

"Will."

Will gave up. He knew the truth. He knew the cause. He knew the sickness.

"How long ago did you find out?" He whispered quietly.

Michael's eyes found the window. "A week and a bit ago… but it's ok, I'm going home in a few days."

_What do I do now? Do I cry? Do I laugh? Do I try to cheer him up? Oh yeah, great idea Will, lets just say, 'Hey Michael, it sucks that you've contracted HIV , but just watch me juggle some hospital utensils in the air and you will feel 110 better!'_

"Michael…I…"

Michael drew his attention back to his ex-love and he shook his head, as if he was shaking the disease off.

"So how are you going?" He asked cheerfully, obviously changing the subject away from his illness. "How's Grace? How's Jack? Have you found anyone yet?"

Will felt shocked tears sting the rims of his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and forced them dry. He returned Michael's grin with a smile of his own and proceeded in keeping Michael up to date with his and Grace's life…managing to leave out the tiny detail about his relationship with Jack.

* * *

"Wow, Grace…it's really unfortunate for your hair today that hats aren't in fashion at the moment." Jack scoffed as he sat on Karen's desk, fiddling with the packaging of the gum he had pulled out of his pocket.

Karen poked him with her nail file. "Hey hey hey! This isn't Wilma's office! You can't just come in here, sprawling yourself across the desk, asking me to wear nothing but my tie and then telling me to have my filthy filthy way with you before my next big case!"

"Karen, that never hap…"

"Shhh. I think I need to be alone in my head right now" She replied, biting her lip and smiling.

Grace looked up. "Karen, that party in your head is like me and my mother when she comes down to visit…any form of privacy is non existent."

Karen giggled to herself as the dirty thoughts filled her mind. Jack rolled his eyes and jumped off Karen's empty desk and bounced over to Grace's cluttered one.

"So…are we all ready to pack up and leave in two days time, Miss Adler, professional designer?"

"I couldn't be more un-ready."

"Half baked orjust dough…you're going over there." Jack responded. He picked up a fabric sample and began fiddling with it, keeping his eyes off Grace. "Speaking of dough…how did…Will take it when you told him?"

"I can imagine that you would know better than anyone else."

Jack clutched the fabric. _She doesn't know yet? _

"Imagine all you want, Big Red!"

"Huh?"

"Nothing"

Grace placed her pencil down and looked at Jack, who was still avoiding eye contact with her.

"Why? What happened with you and Will?"

"We don't ask stupid questions around here Grace, it lowers the air of intelligence that is currently present within the room."

"I think the intelligence level hit its all time low the minute you walked in the door after Karen."

"Honey, I know that theThai are making all my clothes in the state of Taiwan, I visited Australia by train last year to see how the employees were going. That's all the info I need to know." _And where my daughter is…_

"Intelligence level is low, but obviously dosage levels have increased dramatically." Grace sighed aloud to herself.

"So…" Jack tried asking again. "Did Will do the usual flip out when you told him? Did he do his typical girly storm around with his teeth clenched and his voice an octave higher in pitch?"

"No…he just said…congratulations!"

Jack gasped and bit the material in his hands with shock. He and grace looked at each other.

"Just…congratulations?" Came Jack's muffled reply.

Grace nodded. Jack removed the sample from his mouth.

"Did his eyes go all creepy and wide, you know, when he looks like he's going to either tell you to sit in the corner…or kill you?"

Grace shook her head.

"Oh…did he do the…"

"The angry finger point? The inward eyebrows? The spitting that he claims is 'diction'?…nope. None of it."

Jack began to fan himself with the sample with one hand as he grabbed Grace's hand with his other hand.

"Something is wrong!" The two exclaimed in unison.

"It's funny when people actually care" Karen stated before resuming her grueling work on her nails.

* * *

"So anyway, that's how Jack managed to talk me into changing my haircut." Will laughed.

"Yeah, Andrew is convinced that I need vitamin pills, so for the past few years he has been trying to invent different ways to sneak them into my food. He thought he could disguise the capsule in my birthday cake last year, and I choked on it. I suppose it's nice that he cares…but God it makes me more reluctant to take them."

Will sighed. "I'm sorry I was such an ass the last time we saw each other. I suppose that it was…well…I…"

"Doesn't matter. Forgotten. I missed seeing you and I knew I wanted to see you before I…you know…"

"That isn't gonna happen…you just have to take care of yourself and stop letting daytime TV influence you!"

Michael nodded. "Thanks."

Will smiled and looked down at his watch. "It's six o' clock! I have been here for four hours…why didn't you tell me to shut up?"

"Because I was listening."

"Well, I have to go…otherwise Grace and Jack won't know what to do with themselves…and then they will try to cook for themselves…and I really do fancy my apartment…_But _I will visit you soon."

Will leaned over and gave Michael an awkward kiss on his forehead.

"Hey, before you go Will…can you please swing by the main desk and add yourself to my visitors list?"

Will nodded as he left. He strolled down the hallway once again and turned. He couldn't bring himself to think that the past four hours with Michael actually occurred.

Before he knew it, he had managed to lose himself amongst the corridors. Not understanding the signs, Will figured he would ask the first person that he crossed paths with where the exit was.

He stopped abruptly when he spotted a man leaning outside the door of one of the rooms.

"Excuse me?" Will asked him.

"Yeah?"

"Um…this is going to sound…well…really stupid but…I'm kind of lost, and I was just wondering where the exit was?"

"You're right, that does sound stupid! The signs aren't there to look pretty, you know. They are rather ugly actually…I could design better ones with two Crayolas."

Will smirked. He faced the man and actually looked at him, and decided to do the usual 'Man–Scan'. _Hmm…Tallish…approximately 34 years, Light brown hair (bearable) Green eyes (good!) and great smile (excellent!)._

"So what brings you to the…er hospital?" He asked the man.

"Well, in movies, they always make such a big deal about hospital jell – o, so when I heard that a relation was in hospital, I jumped at the chance to have a taste tester."

"Worth it?"

"Not at all."

Will couldn't help but grin, although a strange niggling at the back of his mind kept screaming _What about Jack? _

The man extended his hand out to Will. "Richard"

Will shook the man's hand. _What about Jack? _"Incredibly Lost."

"Just keep turning left at every corridor, you'll get there soon."

_Jack is over you anyway. _"Thanks."

"Uh, before you go…I don't usually do this, but here's my number." Richard said, pulling a pen out of his pocket and writing on Will's hand.

Will smiled and nodded, continuing on his way.

"The name's Will." He said to the man that was now behind him. He waited until he had turned the corner before he could stop strutting and return to his normal, non – flirting state.

_Jack? If he has such little faith in us, then why should I always cling onto it?_

_Step 1 of the Healing Process: Find new target. CHECK._

* * *

"Where the hell is he? We were gonna catch a movie!" Jack shrieked as he dialed Will's apartment from Karen's cell phone.

"Honeymoon with Grace?"

"Nah…he would still answer his DAMN PHONE! If we don't catch the movie tonight, we are no longer friends. I am through with him. He is supposed to be home!"

Karen laughed.

"Is my volcanic anger funny to you Kare?"

"Of course it is Poodle!" She responded through fits of cackling. "It's just the fact that you still care and that you're too much of a woman to admit that you aren't over him."

"Gee, I see why that slice of UNTRUTH belongs to the Funny Cake" Jack said, trying to cram as much bitchiness as he could into his tone.

Karen snickered even harder. "Ah, you queens kill me!"

* * *

_**LJStagFlower4e: **Glad you liked the twist...and im happy that it actually WAS a twist! thankyou for your interest love! xx_

_**FadeToBlack315: **Thanks! its so flattering that you like this, despite the pairing! I tried to keep a bit of the Will and Grace, Jack and Karen relationships up, and not just solely focus on Will and Jack. Thanks a bunch! xx_

_**GracieAdler: **Haha thanks! your novels crack me up, its great! As for the Will and Jack thing...i do that with the show too...and sorry they arent together currently in my story, but it makes it fun :) I wasn't much of a Glitter fan personally :) Thanks again xx_

**Next Chapter: **Grace confronts Will about his odd behaviour, and the gang see Grace off at the airport. Jackbecomes suspiscious of Will. Karen contemplates makinga rare act ... anapology...

xx


	17. Come Fly With Me

Hey! sorry this installment took so long...the next one will come a lot quicker, because I have it fresh in my mind!

Sorry this chapter is a little long, but i was trying to cram all the stuff i wanted to into this chaper...

oh well...hope you enjoy it!

**Song: **'On My Own.' - The Used.

_

* * *

_

_See all those people on the ground  
Wasting time  
I try to hold it all inside  
But just for tonight_

"Oh, wow, look who _finally _decided to discipline us with his presence!" Karen exclaimed, as Will shut the door to his apartment.

Will looked at his three friends at his dinner table, anticipating his arrival, and groaned. _Did I…forget?_

"It doesn't matter Karen, the dinner I prepared to share with my best friends before I leave tomorrow isn't important enough to Will for him to arrive on time." Grace mumbled, pushing peas around her plate with her fork.

"I was…at work!" Will replied, loosening his tie so that it hung slackly around his partially unbuttoned shirt. He strutted to the table and sunk down into his designated seat. As he reached for his glass of wine, Grace snatched it away from his grasp and placed it in front of her.

"I called your office and they said you weren't there!"

Will was astonished. "I tell them to say that to all of my stalkers."

Will tried to re-reach for his wine glass, but Grace quickly claimed it again before he could even touch it.

"Since when did we decide to go anti – wine? We never discussed that!"

"Call me crazy, but I think that she is anti – you." Karen said, smiling.

As an awkward silence fell upon the room, only the amplified sounds of forks clinking against plates and the rare slurp of a drink. Jack picked up his napkin, screwed it up and spontaneously threw it at Will.

"Ow…what was that for?"

"Who is she Will? And is she prettier than me?"

"Hmm let me think, last time I checked, I recalled that being none of your business."

"Ah – ha! So there is someone!"

"No. C'mon, it's me! Is…is there ever anyone?" Will stammered nervously. _Visiting Michael. Buy it and leave me alone!_

Jack leaned back in his chair, attempting to appear intelligent. Both he and Grace studied Will's face, as Karen studied her drink. After a few seconds, Jack finally turned to Grace. "He does raise a good point."

"Good. So…uh how was everyone's day?" Will asked after a brief silence, attempting to break it.

"I'm leaving tomorrow! You are my best friend! How can you not care!" Grace suddenly yelled, standing up and facing Will. She shoved her hand on her hip and tapped her foot.

"God… when you stand like that…you are the spitting image of my second grade teacher telling me off for refusing to play dodge ball…I preferred hopscotch personally.

Jack cringed as his mind reconstructed memories. "I was always the target for dodge ball. I didn't even have to be in the game, and they would throw their balls at me."

"And look where you are today, still collecting as many balls as you can get." Will smirked.

Jack grinned. Grace hit Will's shoulder, causing him to wince.

"Answer my question dammit! How can you not care?"

Will began to feel the pulse of frustration seep into his body as he stood up to face her.

"How can you assume that I don't! God…I'm pissed off because you didn't tell me sooner! You know the way that this…this… whatever it is we have has worked since the beginning of time!"

Grace raised her voice a little. "At least I told you! You could at least be happy for me! You could have at least been a real best friend and helped me organize everything!"

She swiped the hair that had fallen into her eyes away from her face, stormed into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Will grabbed his wine glass off the table and stalked over to his fireplace…although seeming immature…he didn't really want to be near her.

Karen sipped her martini, and Jack slowly spooned some mashed potato into his mouth. He chewed it gradually, before he screwed up his nose and spat the mouthful into Karen's napkin.

"I have just had a taste of pure evil, and let me tell you, I really don't wanna try it again…. for a long time..."

Grace ignored the cooking insult. "What is going on with you, Will? You are never here and you wake up so late…Why?" She pleaded.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Will questioned softly.

"Because I knew that you would guilt me into not going…I would feel sorry for you, and then I would think that I was a horrible person for going and then I wouldn't go. But I _need_ this…I _need_ to be away from here, Will."

Will glared at her icily. "Don't let me hold you back."

Jack and Karen shifted in their seats, and leaned forward.

"Ooh I love drama!" Jack exclaimed excitedly

"Especially when it's between a flippy homo and his butchy wife, with only boringness and over-plucked eyebrows in common."

Jack shook his head. "It's just so sad, Kare!"

Will was fed up with the argument, his head spun partially due to the speed at which he had consumed his glass of wine, and partially from the fact that he could barely even remember why they were arguing. He angrily shoved his now empty glass on top of the fireplace, causing his three companions to gasp at the shock of the possibility of Will leaving a glass ring anywhere in his house.

"You want to know why I wake up so late?" Will sighed. He caught Jack's pale blue eyes with his own and silently dared Jack to break the eye contact. Jack's face dropped, fearful of what his Ex - love was going to say next.

Will collected his jacket from the coat rack. "I wake up so late because I have nothing to look forward to in my day. I want the days to go shorter, and the less amount of time I spend here, the less time I have to spend thinking about myself. Have a great trip Gracie, catch you in five to seven months."

Karen, Jack and Grace watched in frozen awe as their rock, their support and…friend exited his apartment.

Jack felt as if he was about to gag his heart up, but it lodged itself in his throat. Grace flopped down into the closest chair and Karen rested her face into her palm.

"What a sook. Dangle some food wrapped in cashmere in front of his face and he will come running back." Jack mumbled quietly.

_Where did he go? And who the hell is he with?_

* * *

_The top of the world  
Sitting here wishing  
The things I've become  
That something is missing  
Maybe I...  
But what do I know?_

"Ok, see you soon, Richard!"

The air was cool, but a slight wind swept the street catching the pieces of paper and litter and cradling them away. Will flipped his cell phone shut and shoved it into his pocket, along with his hands.

_Step 2 of the Healing Process: The Re – Meeting. CHECK._

* * *

_And now it seems that I have found  
Nothing at all  
I want to hear your voice out loud  
Slow it down_

Chaos. Rapidity. Hugs. Tears. Stress. Anxiety. Affection. Devotion. Disorder. Love.

The airport was filled to the brim with people, all traveling in various directions, with only one thing in common: hurry. Jack and Karen lingered at the departure gates with Grace as the loud speaker boomed, demanding that the plane was to begin boarding in ten minutes. Will was nowhere in sight…in fact, he hadn't even returned home since dramatically storming out the previous night.

"Don't worry about him. He is a jerk and he will get over his hissy as soon as he realizes that he is getting to old to throw hissy's." Jack reassured her. He stroked her back for comfort.

"Something is wrong with him and I can't quite figure it out." Grace responded, detached.

"Hey, since when were dogs allowed in the airport?" Karen inquired, spotting one of the sniffing dogs from a distance.

"They sniff for drugs Kare, geez don't you watch airport shows?" Jack answered rolling his eyes. "Everyone knows that they hire the less attractive security guards to control the sniffer dogs so they have a chance of picking up too. Dog lovers are very open minded people."

"Drugs? Oh geez honey!" Karen squealed, clutching her handbag close to her heart.

Jack turned to Grace."Do you wanna know what the problem with Will is? It's…"

"Leo!" Grace suddenly piped up.

"Ok…I was gonna go for his hair, but whatever you say Grace."

Jack felt a light tap on his shoulder, and as he spun around to assess his avenger, his eyes widened. "Since when was Grace Psychic?"

Karen shrugged.

Leo passed Jack and gave Grace a kiss on the cheek and hugged her tightly.

"How are you?"

"What are you doing here Leo?" she replied in amazement.

"Dani is going to California to see her parents. Her plane left about twenty minutes ago…and I was finding my way out of this place, and…"

"And I'm going in ten minutes…my plane is gonna start boarding and I wanna get there early so I can suss out which air hostess is a pushover, so I can complain and get my way."

Leo was stunned. "Where are you going?"

"England."

"Wow."

"I know."

"Funny how plain people survive on very little language" Karen commented.

"Sorry to be rude, Leo…but I really have to start boarding now."

"Is Will in the bathroom or something?"

"No…he's not here."

"There's my fourth shock of the day!" Leo exclaimed. "First there was finding you here, then there's the fact that you are leaving, then there is the fact that your air supply isn't here to see you off and now there's the fact that I just realized I stood on gum!"

Grace shrugged, silently making deals with God, begging him not to let her cry. Her eyes had been burning since she left the apartment.

She hugged Jack and Karen tightly, biting down on her lip to fight the tears that kept violently threatening to escape.

"I'm gonna miss you guys." She whispered as she turned around and began to walk away.

"Grace!"

She pivoted with the speed of a cheetah and her eyes instantly lit up. _Thank you, God! I owe you!_

"Where the hell were you!" She yelled as Will roughly pulled her into a firm but comforting embrace. She allowed her tears to break free.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could respond with as he kissed her forehead. Grace began to choke and cough.

"Shh, it's alright, no need to cry." Will said loosening his hug.

"Oh God! You're wearing enough cologne to create a nuclear bomb. That stuff could wipe out a country!" Grace spluttered.

"The bottle broke." He replied sheepishly.

"I am so scared Will…I had this dream last night that my plane crashed on a spooky island and I was stuck there with a bunch of people I didn't know…but it was lucky that one of the guys was a hot doctor."

"That's what happens when you fall asleep while watching 'Lost'. Now get going!"

She nodded and pecked Will on the lips lightly. She grinned as she picked up her hand luggage and began to walk away. Before she exited through the gate, she turned around and gave her friends the hugest wave she could muster.

Jack slipped his hand into Will's.

"Nice of you to show up, Truman."

"I'm gonna miss her." Will responded quietly, still facing the gate as if Grace were standing there.

Karen snuck under Will's free arm.

"I couldn't figure out that top she was wearing…it was like she found a sack and sewed on a waist band."

Leo hovered behind the trio, unsure of whether to leave them alone or to speak. Karen motioned with her head for him to join.

_Without it all  
I'm choking on nothing  
It's clear in my head  
And I'm screaming for something  
Knowing nothing is better than knowing at all_

"Coffee?"

Jack nodded. " Dammit Will. You read my mind. Stop it."

Karen nodded.

"You wanna join us, Leo?" Will offered.

Leo pondered the invite for a second before accepting. _Why the hell not? _

* * *

"I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute." Will announced, excusing himself from the table.

"Ooh are you reapplying?" Jack asked.

"Reapplying my comfort." Will answered.

"Ew."

"That was a little gross, wasn't it?" Will questioned.

Jack, Leo and Karen all nodded as their friend darted off.

"Lets play a game, shall we?" Jack grinned excitedly.

"As long as it doesn't involve stripping, baby oil or ABBA." Leo answered.

"No, my game isn't _that _fun. I'm out of baby oil…I just wanna play 'Lets Snoop Into Will's Life Because He Was Stupid Enough To Leave His Cell Phone On The Table'."

Karen clapped her hands. "Oh I get such a kick out if invading people's privacy!"

Jack picked up the phone and began to scroll down the recent call list.

"Hmm…Grace…work…the apartment…Some number I don't know…Michael…Grace Adler designs…Me…wait a second…MICHAEL?" He screeched.

"Who's Michael?" A confused Leo inquired.

"Shh, Leo, now is not the time for your flirting." Jack said as he placed the phone back on the table in the same position he had found it. "Who the hell does Michael think he is? Hanson? He can't just make a comeback out of nowhere!"

Jack battled to hide his surprise as Will casually strolled back in from the bathroom.

_Don't let him know you snooped. Not in the mood for angry Will this time of the morning._

"Have fun, Wilma?" Karen asked, grinning.

"As much fun as any man can have waiting in line for people to finish. Hey Jack, you look as if Cher just got a bad haircut…what's wrong?"

_You, Will._

"Coffee was a little hot." He replied, through the widest grin he could possibly muster.

* * *

Apologies for not putting in the Karen stuff that i said i would in the previous chapter, but it will be in the next one!

And to my lovely reviewers, what would i do without you?

**GracieAdler: **I'm glad that you found the michael and Will relationship believable! Thank you so much for sticking with this story love xx

**LJStagFlower4e: **Haha! its great knowing that you are interested...i will be heaps quicker with the next part! thanks a million! xx

**Broken-Angel-Gurl: **I hope the wait didn't affect you too much love! thanks for your review! xx

**Next Chapter: **Will and Jack spend the day running errands together. Jack is still suspicious of Will's behaviour and decides to investigate. Karen seeks Will's advice about her daughter, leaving Will to swap love advice with Josie. Jack becomes a little frustrated...sexually.


	18. Love Fools and Daily Rituals Pt1

_Sorry it took so long guys!_

_Yet another famous 2-part chapter!_

_love you all xx_

**Song: **Run - Snow Patrol

_

* * *

_

_I'll sing it one last time for you_

_Then we really have to go_

_You've been the only thing that's right_

_In all I've done_

He unlocked the door of his apartment and entered. Morning leaked through the window and illuminated the edges of the tables and benches in the room, giving them a certain air of warmth. Will leaned with his back against his door and grinned to himself as his remembered the previous night.

* * *

The night was chilly for a September night, and Will almost regretted offering to walk Richard home. Just as the couple were about to reach the destination, Richard spun around and faced Will.

"Uh…Will…I…God! Listen to me! What makes this so hard to say?"

Will's body instantly tensed and he froze on the sidewalk. The night seemed extremely dark, darker than usual.

_Oh Richard, what crappy lighting your street has! _He thought to himself. _All the better for you to hide your face and ditch me with!_

Will faced his date.

"It's alright, I understand. So what if we had a few fun dates, so what if I thought we had a connection, so what if you helped me to get my mind off…_Jack…_things. Don't worry, the rejection buffer is a natural part of my anatomy, placed somewhere between the heart and the gut."

A wave of shock rose and crashed onto Richard. He thought for a second before shaking his head and chuckling. This only fuelled Will's annoyance.

"Relax! Stop being such a drama queen!"

"I am not!" Will sulked as he crossed his arms, stamped his foot and turned his head away.

Richard cocked his head to the side and laughed at the man's natural mannerisms. He took both of Will's hands into his own.

"You are adorable, you know that?"

Will looked down sheepishly. "Yeah, I've been told." _This is the very second that Jack would gag and dry wretch._

"And crazy."

"Huh?"

"All I wanted was to ask was if you wanted to come inside. My daughter is asleep and I have to pay the sitter for racking up my phone bill. My kid loves you, you know…I think Elle loves you more than she loves me…I may just have to kill you for that."

It was now Will's turn to smile. He tried to blur out the images of Jack that seemed to be branded in the back of all his thoughts. _As if he hasn't moved on to three hundred other guys already! He wanted to be apart._

"So…what do you think, Will?"

_Jack wanted this. _

Will replied by kissing the man lightly on his mouth.

_Step 3 of the Healing Process: New Target Becomes New Boyfriend._

* * *

And I can barely look at you

But every single time I do

I know we'll make it anywhere

Anyway from here

He strutted over to the kitchen, humming joyfully to himself as he began to enter the process of structuring his routine, morning coffee. Suddenly, a cacophony of amplified racket pierced his ears. After smothering his girlish shriek of surprise, Will calculated that the noise was in fact, coming from his bathroom. His eyes roughly scanned the apartment for any object that could be used as a weapon.

Giving up on his idea, he silently crept, with coffee in hand up to the door and listened. _Why is the water running?_

He prepared himself to heroically burst through the door, thus shocking the imposter and catching him or her out with his masterful element of surprise. Then he would exert his toughest voice, scaring away the thief.

His hand gripped the door knob. _1…2…2 and a half…2 and 3 quarters…3!_

He pushed the door, causing it to violently swing open and crash into the wall, creating and unbearably loud 'BANG'.

He stared straight into the stunned, blue eyes of his intruder. The imposter quickly reached for the nearest towel and eagerly wrapped it around his waist. Will faced the wall and hid his eyes with his non-coffee hand – partly in embarrassment, and partly due to the fact that he didn't want his surprise visitor to realize just how much he really saw of him.

"William Truman! Your disgusting lust for me has just gone too far this time. Trying to jump in my shower with me…I'm sorry…it ain't gonna happen."

"Jack? What the hell are you doing here?" Will asked from behind his hand.

"Your bathroom is clean, and it has great lighting."

"What t…wait…this hand thing is getting annoying, are you decent?"

"Are you _still _trying to hit on me, you poor poor man?"

Will rolled his eyes and faced his ex-love. The towel hung around Jack's waist as he grinned at Will. His drenched hair caused hundreds of miniature rivers to roll down his face and neck. He then collected another towel and roughly rubbed his hair with it, producing a mess of matted dark hair, spiking out in all directions.

Will felt a bizarre captivation with the younger man, and no matter how much he tried to avoid it, his eyes remained fixated on his childish face.

Jack raised his eyebrows. _Stop looking at me like that._

Will quickly shook off his awkward moment. "Sorry, but unfortunately for you, I don't do children."

"Oh wow, you brought me a coffee, you shouldn't have. Thank you, dear slave." Jack said, patting Will on the arm as he pried the coffee cup away from Will's hand.

* * *

"Lady! Telephone!"

Rosario's strong voice startled Karen so much, that she jolted upright in the bath. Only after she re-caught her breath, did she allow herself to sink back into the bubbles that engulfed her body.

"You would do anything to see me naked, wouldn't you Rosie? El Leave-o, speedy Gonzales, cha-cha…, I don't know how else to tell you how to leave in your crazy language. "

"The bubbles are edible. Try some" The maid said as she handed the phone over to Karen and left. Karen put the phone to her ear.

"Speak."

"Karen?"

"No."

"Karen, it's me, Josie. Your original, natural flesh and blood? You told me to call you."

"Yeah, what did I want?"

"I have no idea, but I wanted to ask you something."

"Fine, I'll get you a fake I.D, pushy."

"Thanks, but that's not what I wanted to ask. I actually wanted to ask…ok here's the scary part…I wanted to ask your advice."

"Ok. Milky liquors should only be mixed with spirits when in a shot, Botox should be updated frequently, and never trust anyone that wears green, or no make-up."

Josie sighed. "Thanks, I'll take that into account, but that's not the advice I wanted."

"Well what do you want from me? I've already given you my heart and soul! Or what's surgically left of it. You can have my kidney though."

"I have a well…I have a date tonight."

"Wear a condom."

"It's my first date! What do you think I am?"

"Sheesh, relax, prude. At least wear some sexy lingerie…a little leg never went astray."

"So will you help me?"

"Of course. When is he picking you up?"

"At eight."

"We will be there at six."

Confusion swept across Josie's mind "Who's we?"

"Bye, kid." Karen said, hanging up the phone, leaving her daughter's question unanswered.

* * *

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you dear_

Will moved so he could lean against the bathroom doorway.

"What's this?" Jack inquired.

"What's what?"

_The fact that you are seeing Michael…I can't believe that you are so pathetic, Will!_

"Will, you're wearing the exact same tasteless outfit as yesterday and you look as if you have had plastic surgery to insert a coat hanger into your mouth. So who is he?"

_I might as well tell him now. Maybe then he will realize that my entire existence doesn't centrally revolve around a certain Mr. McFarland._

"My boyfriend, Richard."

The word 'boyfriend' hung in limbo and lingered in the steamy air. There was something about the fact that it was said aloud that brought it all into perspective and made it seem so real. So final.

_I suppose it's really over. _Jack breathed in deeply to hide his surprise. _So you're cheating on Michael now? What is going on with you Truman?_

Jack covered his feelings up in one of the only ways he knew how – showing pure excitement. "So, is he hot? Is he rich? Does he dress well? Where did he come from? Does he like Cher? Tell me all the vital details!"

Will was slightly irritated at Jacks response. He originally wanted to spark jealousy within Jack, although he couldn't exactly fathom why. _React, Dammit!_

"Don't you have work today?" Will pondered aloud.

"Of course I do, but I already told them I wasn't going. It's purple day and all my purple clothing is in the wash, and besides, purple doesn't really compliment my soft skin tone."

Will shifted his weight to the other foot as Jack spun around and inspected his face in the mirror. Will turned around to leave, just as Jack began to speak.

"Hey Will, what are you doing today?"

"Well uh I…"

"Wrong." Jack cut in. "You are coming to the vet with me today."

"Monthly checkup time already?" Will smirked.

"You are as funny as the fact that your fly is undone."

Will quickly corrected his clothing error.

"No, Will, I'm taking Claus Von Puppy to get vaccinated today. You're coming. We never hang out anymore."

"You want me to pay the bill don't you?"

"Thanks, muffin."

Will contemplated Jack's proposal for a brief moment before stating:

"I'll only come with you, if you come somewhere with me."

"Where?" Jack inquired, now sitting on the edge of the bath.

"It's a surprise."

"Surprises aren't fun unless you know what they are and pretend you don't. That's a real surprise."

"I'm not telling you."

"Oh no…this isn't like the time you told me you were taking me out to a surprise location, and it was just to your mother's house to help her decide the thanksgiving table settings?"

Will smiled at the memory of his clever conspiracy. "No, it's not like that. It's just somewhere important I have wanted to bring you for a long time. So will you come with me if I come with you?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Deal. Now go and email your wife in England before we go, while I get dressed. I can't handle your bedroom eyes undressing me any longer! Scoot!"

* * *

Sorry this update took forever, but I have had heaps of work to do. I hope this doesn't disappoint!

**LJStagFlower4e: **Sorry this took forever. Thanks a bunch for your review and I'm glad you found it interesting! xx

**GracieAdler: **Ah yes, another famous novel haha. I'm so happy that you can see the show in this, it means so much to me! Hope you enjoy this installment love. thankyou xx

**Next Chapter: 2nd half: **Jack brings Will to the vet and Jack visits Will's 'mystery place'. Karen is stumped on what type of dating advice to give Josie, and relies on they boys for their help. Will is thrilled upon recieving another email, updating Graces stay in England.

xx


	19. Love Fools and Daily Rituals Pt2

_Thank you all for sticking with this..._

_Here is the second part of this chapter...we are beginning the lead up to the end of this fic...hurrah!_

_Hope you guys enjoy this part...sorry it's a little long, I wanted to cram all the info i wanted to into this chapter!_

_Thanks xx_

_

* * *

_

_Louder louder_

_And we'll run for our lives_

_I can hardly speak I understand_

_Why you can't raise your voice to say_

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I am gonna have to put him down." The vet stated with a taught voice.

There was a suspended silence before Jack's mind clicked and he registered what the man was announcing. All traces of colour escaped his cheeks and his forehead began to produce a nervous sweat as his knees buckled.

Will instinctively collected Jack into his arms and attempted to support his weight while keenly ushering him over to the closest chair in the room and assisting him into it. The whole fiasco appeared to adopt an extremely slapstick quality, Will thought, and would have been amusing to him, had it occurred in different circumstances.

"Oh God, no! You can't kill my baby! Do you know how many men he has attracted?"

"Shhh Jack." Will calmly soothed. He crouched down next to the chair, and subconsciously took one of Jack's limp hands into his own and entwined his fingers with those of the younger man. Jack gripped onto Will's shirt collar.

"You can't let them do it Will…you just can't! My life will be over"

"That's exactly what you said when you found out that Dawson's Creek was ending."

"Hmm, Funny…like cancer." Jack responded bitterly._ Dear God, I promise never to steal Grace's underwear for my own use ever again if you promise not to let my precious Klaus die. Please! _

Will stood up and faced the Vet, who struggled to hold the adult dog in his arms.

"Is it completely necessary to put Klaus down?" Will's voice was hoarse. His heart began to painfully unstitch when he caught a glimpse of Jack, who, much like a child, had covered his face with his hands and was peeking through the cracks between his fingers, fearful of the 'Big Bad Man's' response.

"Yes" The vet replied. "He's quite a heavy boy."

As the vet placed the dog on the ground, he began to chuckle.

"You boys sure put on a dramatic show."

Jack instantly regained composure, sprung up out of his chair and ran over to his dog, kneeling on the ground and wrapping his arms lovingly around the bundle of golden fur.

"So Doc, what are you saying?"

"Klaus is fine! I don't need to see him again for another six to eight months. Perhaps you boys shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly eh?" The vet snickered. He turned around and left the room, leaving the two stunned men facing each other, silently searching for each others answers about what had just happened.

"What a jerk!" Will exclaimed, shaking his head. He cracked a giant smile as his mind replayed Jack's overreaction.

"What I would give for Klaus to pee under his desk!"

"Jack, that is so immature, disgusting and…"

The dog suddenly lifted up his leg and resumed to empty his bladder onto the leg of the Vet's desk.

"Fantastic!" Will finished.

Jack grinned slyly. "Let's drop my baby off home, and then, the adventures of Jack and the Fat Man can continue."

* * *

Grace gently drummed her fingers on her desk, boredom seeping through the doorway of her compact 'office' (aka the old storage room). A half eaten banana muffin rested on a white china plate, and a cup of now-icy coffee remained next to the keyboard of her computer. _Why do I even have a computer? _

Phone calls and E-mails from Will and her mother seemed to be the only source of information she received, and she thrived off it.

Feeling slightly emotional, she picked up the leftover half of banana muffin and bit into it. As she chewed, a realization suddenly popped into her head, and she spat her mouthful into the closest napkin.

"I'm off bananas!" She squealed to the vacant space. Trying to evict the taste from her mouth, she grabbed the cup of coffee and took a swig from it. Learning the hard way that it was cold, she spat it back into the mug.

"That's sooo gross." She whined, as she began typing an email to her best friend.

_

* * *

_

_To think I might not see those eyes_

_Makes it so hard not to cry_

_And as we say our long goodbye_

_I nearly do_

"Oh guess what, Will?" Jack asked excitedly as they strolled towards Will's 'surprise' destination.

"What?"

"I got a promotion."

Will's face lit up. "Really?"

"No. I just thought it sounded cool." Jack giggled.

"Do you know what else sounds 'cool'?"

"What?"

"Silence. Yeah…try it."

Jack crossed his arms in annoyance and began to hum as they continued walking. Will felt like brooding to himself, and to him, the weather resembled reminiscence. The slightest hints of winter were beginning to poke through and the wind caused his shirt to lightly flap around his body.

He thought about Michael. _How did he even get it? _He reflected on how shocked he was at how gaunt and tired Michael had appeared when he visited him the previous day. He loved the fact that he regularly saw Michael again, as no matter how long they had spent apart, they could always comfprtably connect on some bizarre communication level that nobody else could.

Will began to feel as if he didn't even control his own mind…as it twisted the images of Michael away, images of Jack began to pour in. _What if that were Jack lying th…Wait! no! Not Jack…not my Jack. Idiot. Don't even think about that._ Without realizing, tears had sprung to his eyes. _Did you just say 'MY' Jack? _He blinked his tears away. _Stop being such a girl you…girl._

"I know that I have a beautiful voice, and I'm thrilled that I moved you to tears, but could you not do that in public please? It's really quite embarrassing for me, and people will think that I'm a bitch because I made you cry, thus making me the bad guy."

Will snapped out of his mind warp. "I only ever cry when I'm in physical pain, and let me tell you, your singing always manages to bring tears to my eyes."

Jack's face softened. "Thank you." He said, genuinely touched.

Will nodded as they arrived at their destination.

"So…is this place fun?

"Define fun"

"Oh crap…"

"Tada!" Will said, grinning with outstretched arms.

Jack's jaw dropped open, his eyes widened.

Will lifted Jack's chin up with his hand. "Please don't do that face, you remind me of the victims from 'The Ring' and it kind of creeps me out."

"You brought me to…the HOSPITAL?" Jack screeched. "We better be here to get some doctor jellybeans and free lube or I swear, this bitch is gonna blow!"

"Strange to think, that actually works as a pick up line for you."

* * *

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you dear_

"You are dead to me William Truman! You hear that? Dead!" Jack angrily vented as he sat in the waiting area with Will.

"Quit crying. It'll be over in a second. Your reaction to this is actually quite funny."

"Do you know what else is funny?" Jack whispered ferociously. "The fact that I feel oddly compelled to hit you right now."

"Jack, it's just a damn blood test, you know, you should get them more often…to actually check that you are healthy."

Jack was about to respond to this, when both he and Will's names were called. They stood up and followed the doctor into the tiny room.

"So, who's first?"

"William." Jack hissed.

Will smiled and sat himself down comfortably in the chair while the doctor prepared the needle.

"I've seen you before." The doctor stated while rolling up Will's sleeve. "You come around here quite a bit don't you?"

"Oh Will, trying to pick up at a hospital? That is just pathetic! Unless you are a nurse of course." Jack slotted in.

"Ok, William, it will just take a second…"

"Ow!"

"…or fifteen." The doctor said, pulling the needle out. Will held his arm and resumed his original seat next to Jack.

"Ok, Jack, is it? You're up next!"

"Oh, I'm fine, really."

"You were booked in"

Jack stood up and walked over to the chair, sulking. He squinted his eyes for effect as he scowled at Will.

"You and me are totally Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie: friends for the cameras, but real life enemies."

Will smothered his smile. He watched Jack wince as the needle entered his arm, and felt a little guilty for making Jack do this, but he knew that he had to. _I need reassurance, I need to know he's ok. He can't end up like Michael._

"Ok, boys, your results will be in tomorrow, if you want to pick them up." The doctor stated kindly, before showing them out of the room.

"You love to see me squirm, don't you?" Jack asked.

Will grinned. "More than anything in the world."

_Slower slower_

_We don't have time for that_

_I just want to find an easier way_

_To get out of our little heads_

* * *

"Jackie! Wilma! Oh who are your friends?" Karen inquired as she opened the door for the two.

Will spun around and looked behind him. _Friends? _"The two little devils that sit on each of your shoulders, laughing at the fact that they got the angel drunk and ambushed it."

Karen smiled. "Hey guys!"

Jack clapped his hands and paced forward in a firm manner. "So, where is our project?"

"Hey kid! Haul it in here!" Karen yelled.

Josie emerged from the next room. "You don't need to yell Karen, and please don't answer my door…it could have been the religion converters again."

Jack looked the girl up and down, assessing every detail about her.

"Spin around for me."

"Huh?" She asked, while slowly doing what she was told to.

"Mmhmm, yes, yes I see. Ok, where is your bedroom? Karen and I will go and choose your outfit, because Will has no fashion sense…"

"…and I will sit here and talk to you about dating, since Jack has no common sense."

"And I have no senses at all!" Karen squealed as her and Jack ran off to the bedroom.

Josie lead Will into the kitchen and sat at the table with him.

"So…are you nervous?"

"My hands are shaking, I haven't been able to think all day and I nearly vomited, so…no."

Will screwed up his nose. "That good huh?"

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"He liked you enough to ask you out. You're beautiful and…funny…you wear good perfume, what's not to love about you?"

The girl smiled. "So what's going on with you and Jack? I thought you guys were…together."

Will slumped down onto the hand he was using to support his head. "You really wanna know? How long have you got?"

"An hour and a half."

"Short version then. Ok, well…"

_Have heart my dear_

_We're bound to be afraid_

_Even if it's just for a few days_

_Making up for all this mess._

"Honey, you must be dying…you haven't…for two months?"

"It's killing me! In a slow, poisonous way. Much like if one were doomed to eat Grace's cooking for the rest of their life."

"Oh gosh poodle, that's awful!"

Jack and Karen had sorted through Josie's closet, and picked out what they deemed 'presentable'. As they sat on the girl's bed, Jack started fiddling with one of Josie's pillows.

"I could really go some cucumber." Karen stated impulsively.

"Please don't discuss phallic objects around me Kare, its not helping."

"Oh ok. Hey! Josie has a sausage pillow!" She exclaimed with excitement, reaching over and collecting the object of discussion.

"Karen! Please! I'm vulnerable right now!"

"Wow, that poster of shirtless Colin Farrell sitting on a motorbike is huge!"

"Focus, lady! I am trying to tell you how wrong it is that Will has moved on and is happy and I how I'm in sexual limbo!"

"Sounds fun!"

Jack slapped his forehead. "Finally you're listening!"

"Do you know what else is fun honey?"

"What?"

"Water polo."

"Karen…"

"With a men's team."

"Don't."

"…Naked."

Jackshook his fist and leapt off the bedas Karen lay across it in fits of cackles.

"Curse you, devil woman!"

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you dear._

"This is so exciting, I remember my first date with a girl. If I knew that I would eventually discover that I was gay…I would have skipped this part." Will thought aloud.

The pinnacle moment had arrived: The ringing of the doorbell. All four members of the kitchen table sprung up and raced to the door.

Josie took a deep breath in and opened the door, facing the young boy that hovered at the doorstep.

"So…do you do drugs? Do you drink? Do you drink while driving? Are you part of a gang? Are you a serial killer? Do you have wrong intentions with this girl?" Jack poked.

The boy's eyes widened. "Uh…none of the above…sir."

"So, what? You're just gonna see a movie?"

"Yeah."

"Boring!" Karen chanted.

Will pushed Karen and Jack aside. He leant into the boy. "Just take care of her, alright? She's a great girl."

Josie beamed and threw her arms around Will.

Will pushed her out of the door as Karen yelled out. "Bring her home drunk and I will know because she will be on my wavelength…and that's a promise!"

Will closed the door. "Hey, Jack, can I borrow a pen? There's a crossword in that magazine over there that I have been hanging to do."

Jack fished into the pocket of his shirt. "If anyone ever had any doubt about you being a loser before…it is removed now…wait…what's this?"

He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it, his face lighting up as he read the content written on it.

"The doctor from the blood test gave me his number! That sneaky, conniving, brilliant man! Hold onto your skirts, ladies…The long drought of '05 is officially over!"

* * *

_Thanks to all my wonderful readers and reviewers...xx_

_**LJStagFlower4e: **Thanking you dearly! I hope that this outing was interesting enough for you love! xx_

_**GracieAdler: **Thankyou, once again love. Hope you are settling into your freshman year better now. :) Pop culture references are fun...that's why i use them so often. Thrilled you like them, and thrilled that you still love this. Yay for your novels haha. xx_

_**Sixela555: **Thanks a million for your review love...and here's the update! xx_

_**Queen Of The Paperclips: **Ah, but we will have to wait and see if they do get back together (I feel the need to do an evil laugh in there, but the flu is telling me 'no, Louise') Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy the rest of my story. (only a few chapters left now!) xx_

_**Viate: **Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! Must have taken you a while to get through them! xx_

**Next Chapter: **Things in England aren't running as smoothly as Grace had planned, Will considers telling Jack WHY he took him to a blood test...and the boys disasterously decide to prove to eachother that they have moved on...by organising a double date!

xx


	20. Discomfort Times Two

_Hey everyone!_

_Sorry this chapter took a while...ahh i'm preparing for final exams...eek!_

_But i promise the next few chapters, including the conclusionof my story will be up a bit quicker._

_Apologies for the long chapter, i tried to fit in all the info i could because this story is probably dragging. It's also a little mushy...apologies._

_Enjoy!_

_Sundown xx_

_

* * *

__Here I go again, I promised myself I wouldn't think of you today…_

To: Will Truman

Subject: The Forgotten Friend

Hey!

How is your life going? I bet it is going amazing…too amazing to e-mail me yesterday! You KNOW I need contact, otherwise it's just me, Ashton Blake and the banana muffins he keeps giving me that he knows I won't eat since I'm still running on my banana theory.

In answer to your question, no, I have not slept with Mr. Blake yet, and our relationship is entirely professional…even though he is rich, British and cute and doesn't appear to have any physical flaws (yet), besides having his cell attached to his ear, and he is forever on the phone to some Marcus guy. Oh no…I just clicked…he's not just British…he's gay! No wonder I was attracted to him. I must investigate…

How's the Richard guy?

And here's the big one…

WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU FIND ANY TIME IN BETWEEN PLUCKING THE HEDGE-MAZE THAT YOU CALL EYEBROWS AND TRYING TO SQUEEZE INTO TIGHT TOPS TO TELL ME THAT YOU PROPOSED TO JACK?

I'll give you some space to think about your answer hot-shot.

Enough space?

Yeah, that's right. He told me. Did you honestly expect Jack _not _to flip out? The longest relationship he has ever had is with his Chicago soundtrack and even _that _came to a dramatic ending when Catherine Zeta Jones didn't win an Oscar for the movie. WHAT were you thinking and WHY are you letting your relationship be over? I think it is a weak effort Mr. Truman and…here comes Mr.Blake.

Seeya,

Love you more than the really cool jacket I bought yesterday…ah who am I kidding? This jacket rules!

Get back to me…soon soon soon Lay-z Boy!

Love, the _only _beautiful red head in your life,

Grace.

* * *

_Ever since you've been gone,_

_The lights go out the same_

_The only difference is_

_You call another name_

_To your love, to your lover now_

_To your love_

_The lover after me._

As he flipped his large menu open, Will coughed lightly to remove the croakiness in his throat. He tried to fix his eyes on the writing in front of him, but his thoughts seemed to cut off the link from his eyes to his brain, causing the words to become fuzzy. _Why am I here?_

He looked up from his menu and he caught a rushed glimpse of Jack sitting opposite him, his face glowing with the light of the candle. _Oh yeah, that's why._

Jack caught Will's dark eyes with his own pale ones, and Jack flashed him a gleaming, sarcastic smile. Will shook his head and gave Jack a dirty look

Richard, who was sitting next to him, slipped his hand into Will's under the table, and kissed him on the cheek.

* * *

_Earlier…_

_Am I all alone in the universe?_

_There's no love on these streets_

_I have given mine away to a world that didn't want it anyway._

"What's the point of a spring clean when spring is practically over?" Jack stated as he lay back and snuggled into Will's couch. Will had been pacing around his apartment, doing laundry, ridding the bathroom of all unneeded items, and was now in possession of his weapons: The Windex and sponge.

As Jack flipped open a magazine, Will stood in front of him, hands firmly on his hips.

"Good article, Jack?"

"Hmm, I don't really care too much for articles, not big on the whole 'words' thing." _Hmm maybe I might find an article on why you are cheating on Michael!_

Will snatched the magazine out of Jack's hands. "If you were any less productive, you would be in a coffin!"

"Ooh, kinky!" Jack teased as he stood up.

"And next up, ladies and gentlemen…" Will announced, adopting the voice of a television host. "…The sound of wind blowing through an empty tunnel."

Will blew into Jacks ear, causing Jack to jump away and hit Will.

"Get away from me, fat has been known to be contagious. Its rare…but I'm not taking any chances, Truman."

"What do you actually plan to do today, Jack?"

"Are you suggesting that I'm not busy?"

"I'm not suggesting."

"Shut up. Don't answer. What are _you_ doing ?"

"Since it's my day off, I'm going to the hospital to get our results from the blood test and then I have a date with Richard tonight."

"Oh yay! I have a date tonight too!"

"Jack…no…"

"Aw c'mon, Will…how long has it been since we've double dated?" Jack pleaded, following Will on his cleaning rampage.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Jack, but most of the dates I've been on this year have been with you."

Jack looked down at his feet. _Cheap shot! _

"Well it's settled then. You, me, Dick and Doctor Ray James. You pick the restaurant, eight o clock."

Will nodded subconsciously before realising what he was nodding to. "Wait…no! nothing's settled!"

The phone began to ring, prompting both men to jump and squeal in unison. Will dropped his Windex bottle and stalked over to the phone. Jack picked up the bottle and bounced over to Will. _Perfect chance for irritation!_

"Hello?...uh, hi…ok…JACK STOP SQUIRTING ME!...sorry about that…pardon? WHAT?"

Will's face, mood and spirit suddenly dropped. Jack felt his friend's body become an instant wall of tension and rigidity. He placed the Windex bottle onto the bench and returned to Will's side. He gently placed his hand on Will's back, in interest and concern but Will shrugged the gesture, along with Jack's hand off him.

"…Uh…alright…no, I'm just surprised…it's so soon to be back…alright, I'm coming down now to see you…bye."

"Will?"

"Not now, Jack." He answered as he dashed past the other man.

In pure reflex, Jack followed Will out of the door.

* * *

_So this is my new freedom?_

_It's funny I don't remember being chained._

_And nothing seems to make sense anymore_

_Without you I'm always 20 minutes late._

Tension pulled like a tightrope amongst the four men seated at the table: all were feeling eerily uncomfortable.

Richard attempted to break the silence.

"So, Jack, it's great to finally meet you, Will's told me a lot about you."

Jack's eyes didn't move away from Will's face as he replied to Richard's question. "Don't believe anything he says about me. I didn't _really _eat the fake apple at his mom's place." _Whew. Got out of that one!_

"Ok…so you're _not _funny and adorable?"

Will kicked Richard in the foot. "Shut up."

Jack was stunned for a moment. _Where's the story and when did I miss the plot?_

"Don't worry Will…Jack said the occasional nice thing about you too in the cab over here." Ray slotted in.

Jack kicked under the table. Will jumped. "Ow…wrong person, Jack!"

* * *

_Earlier…_

_Ever since you've been gone_

_The lights go out the same_

_The only difference is_

_You call another name_

_To your love, to your lover now_

_To your love_

_The lover after me._

Jack and Will waited at the desk to collect the results of their blood tests. Ray strolled past, folder under his arm and his stethoscope hanging loosely around his neck.

Will pointed. "Hey isn't that…"

"Shhhh" Jack hushed, pulling down Will's pointing hand. "Don't point! You're killing fairies!"

Will poked Jack in the arm. No response. "Your theory sucks."

"Who was the phone call from?" Jack suddenly questioned.

"A friend."

Jack stared at him. _Do it now Jack…say it._

"Does this friend happen to be named Michael by any slight chance?"

Will instantly faced away. "Uh, yeah."

_Don't you dare shrug it off! _Jack thought angrily.

"And you just can't decide which one to stay with, can you? Michael or Dick, Dick or Michael. Hard choice, isn't it Will? So…which one's the mistress, I'm guessing Michael." _That-a-boy, Jack!_

As his eyes returned to their normal size after the shock of what Jack had just accused, Will began to feel his common irritation with Jack seep in.

"Jack! I…you know what? We'll grab the results later. Come with me. Right now. I have something to show you." Will demanded, tightly grabbing Jack's hand and leading him away.

"William Truman, if you are leading me into a janitors closet, I will be pleasantly revolted!"

* * *

_And time goes by so slowly_

_The nights are cold and lonely_

_And I shouldn't be holding on_

_But I've been holding on for you._

"Uh excuse me ma'am" Jack asked the waitress as he coldly stared at Will. "I was wondering if I could please change this salad, yeah, this lettuce is a little bitter, tasteless and old. Sorry, thanks."

The waitress nodded, and as she collected Jack's plate, Will decided to join Jack's game.

"Sorry to be a pain, but I was wondering if I could please choose a different wine? This ones a bit immature and its giving me a headache, even in tiny doses."

Irritated, the waitress picked up the glass of wine and stormed off with the two items in her hands.

"Let's take a reading from the comfort thermometer shall we? Ah, I believe that it has hit an all time low." Ray announced in frustration. "Look, Jack, you're a nice enough guy, but God you can be blind and shallow at times, and I don't think this will work between us. So before you get any ideas, I think I'm just gonna go, ok?"

Ray stood up, pushed his chair in and swiftly exited the restaurant.

"What just happened?" Jack asked.

"He just dumped you." Richard answered.

"That's what I thought. He talked too much anyway."

"Jerk." Will breathed quietly.

"Can you believe he called me shallow? Give me an example of when I have been shallow!" Jack begged.

"Today, when we walked past that homeless woman with the sign that said 'I haven't eaten for a week' and you walked up to her and said 'Gosh, I wish I had your willpower'!" Will replied.

Richard laughed.

"You find this funny?" Will asked, still running on his wavelength of exasperation.

"I always find it funny when you get mad... and cute" Richard replied, reaching over and stroking the back of Will's neck.

"Ugh, please! I'm still trying to eat here. You know what? Forget it…I'm just gonna go, alright? I'm not really in the mood for the live production of Homeo and Julio tonight." Jack affirmed softly, taking his/Will's jacket off the back of his seat and leaving the restaurant.

Will turned to Richard. "I am so sorry about this."

"Go outside and talk to him." Richard urged, smiling.

* * *

_Earlier…_

_Here I go again, I promised myself I wouldn't think of you today_

Jack stood at the partially opened door, skeptically hovering behind Will. He tried to peek around Will's shoulder, but was unsuccessful. Will pushed the door open, the creaking amplified due to the suspense Jack was feeling. Will dragged Jack in.

"There! Are you happy? There's your so-called 'mistress'. Right there!" Will angrily released, gesturing over towards Michael.

Jack forced his eyes to settle upon the bed in which the man that he had subconsciously envied for seven long years lay. He never hated Michael, he always seemed so strong, but seeing him vulnerable like this poked splinters into his heart.

"Hey, Jack! Come, see the freak show, presented by Will." Michael joked, weakly waving at the man.

Jack's stomach turned, and fear snatched the words away from his mouth.

"I have to go…I will visit you soon Michael." Jack choked, his voice hoarse.

As he closed the door behind him, Will turned to Michael.

"What are you waiting here for?"

"He'll deal with it."

"Like you, Will? How did you deal with it?"

Will nodded, refusing eye contact with his ex-lover. He walked over to the man, hugged him and kissed his matted hair.

"Are you fine?"

"Andrew is coming around after he finishes work. Stop worrying. Wow…saying that just brought me back into the apartment we shared. Creepy."

Will chuckled as he left the room.

_But I'm standing at your doorway_

_Calling out your name_

_Cause I can't move on_

"Hey, Jack" Will greeted. Jack leaned against the wall next to the front doorway of the hospital.

"I am sorry, but your membership to the best friends club has just expired. It is with deepest regret that we had to terminate your membership, but you are still required to pay the weekly fee."

"It seems like somebody bathed in the fountain of youth for a little too long today."

Will took Jack's hand and spun him slightly so they were facing each other.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you like that, but at least now you realize how irrational and insane your accusations were."

"Yeah, rough love, and not in the military video way. I get it."

Will abruptly lifted Jacks chin up with his finger, and inspected his friends face.

"Playing with the big boys now, Jack? How long did it take you to grow that facial hair of yours?"

Jack smirked. "Funny. You lose hair from your head, I gain it on my face... law of age"

Will shook his head, and realized that he was still holding onto Jacks hand. He quickly tore his hand away.

Jack suddenly became oddly serious and stared at Will.

"The blood tests?"

"Yeah, I know, I'm s…"

Will was instantly silenced with the feeling of lips against his own. He closed his eyes, encircling his arms around his companion before both he and Jack realized what they were doing and jumped apart in shock.

"This…can't…happen again." Will, panted.

"Your fault. See you at eight." Jack yelled behind him as he rushed off.

Will sighed loudly and leaned against the wall, watching his the back of his friend hurry away.

* * *

_Ever since you've been gone,_

_The lights go out the same_

_The only difference is_

_You call another name_

_To your love, to your lover now_

_To your love_

_The lover after me._

Will sprinted out of the restaurant to catch up with Jack.

"Jack!" He yelled. "Turn around, dammit!"

Jack violently spun around. "Do you really love him, Will, or are you with him to look cool…like the wholeTom-Katie thing?"

Will was taken aback by the unexpected outburst.

"Yes, I do." He responded quietly.

"That's good. Go off, live happily ever after with his wonderful daughter. Be a great father, tutor her in anal retentiveness, and laugh about a stupid friend you used to know."

Jack's cynicism almost frightened Will.

"Jack, You're gonna be really good at this one day."

"Good at ice-skating? It's practice, I know."

_Huh? _"No, freak. Commitment. Marriage. "

"Well of course I would be, just bring on Jude Law and I'll start looking for a white picket fence. Hey I might even meet Cinderella's fairy God-mother and roll home in a pimped out pumpkin."

Will angrily gritted his teeth. "I don't even know why I try with you any more."

"Try? You jumped straight into a new guy! You never tried asking why I freaked out when you proposed!" Jack yelled, his frustration soaring.

Will felt exasperation boiling up within him, ready to erupt at any moment. "_I _never tried?"

Jack looked away. Will violently grabbed his shoulders. "I never tried?" He repeated.

"Will, you can't ju…"

For the second time that day, their mouths connected. Will still securely clinging onto Jack's shoulders. Awareness, once again, broke their kiss.

"Cant…Happen…AGAIN!" Jack screeched.

The two men remained in a suspended silence, their eyes wide, breath shortened. They paused for a second before yelling in unison and then running off in their separate directions.

* * *

"Will, I was planning on asking you this at the date _we_ were supposed to have tonight" Richard nervously stated.

They sat in Richards apartment, relaxing on the couch, Will resting his head on his lovers shoulder.

"Yeah I was telling Jack I wanted to give him a kiss…I mean…a miss….GIVE IT A MISS." He stammered.

"Will…don't joke. I want you to move in with me."

_WHAT? So soon? _"Huh?" Will asked, sitting himself upright.

Richard faced him and took both of Will's hands into his own.

"I want you…to move in with me."

"Oh." Will replied. "Ha…I thought you said 'I want you to do a movie', thank-god it was just a giant life-altering question, rather than a dirty proposition…"

* * *

_Thanks to my lovely readers and reviewers!_

_**LJStagFlower4e: **Thankyou love! xx_

_**Queen Of The PaperClips: **Yes...yet another chapter. Thankyou so much for your interest! xx_

_**GracieAdler: **Good to hear your school stuff is getting better! I'm happy that you like Josie's character...thankyou so much for your flatteringreview, and i hope i didn't dissappoint, love! xx_

_**Kaden: **Hooray for suspense. Eek...warm fuzzy feeling from your review! thankyou thankyou thankyou!xx_

_**HoorayTheWierd: **Glad to see you're liking this! I know, it's sad that it's the last season, but, as long as it goes off with a bang, and a fan-pleasing way I'll be happy since the writers and actors gave us 8 wonderful years of the show. Thankyou! xx_

_**Lozza: **Thanks soooo much for the review! Wow, must have taken you quite a while to get through the 19 chapters! Thankyou xx_

**Next Chapter: **Will is torn, deciding whether to move in with Richard or not, and chooses to sort it out with Grace via phone. Grace is still on her mission to discover Mr.Blake's sexuality. Jack spends time with Karen and Josie, discussing boy troubles.

xx


	21. Decisions, Boxes and Bathtubs

_Hey all! how are we?_

_There is about two chapters to go, woohoo!_

_Hope you enjoy this, I apologise, I had to write a little bit of mush...what good is a long story without mush?_

_love you all!_

_xx_

_**Song: **'Love Song' - the Cure_

_

* * *

_

_Whenever I'm alone with you,_

_you make me feel like I am home again_

_Whenever I'm alone with you,_

_you make me feel like I am whole again_

"So do you think I should do it Gracie?" Will pondered aloud to his best friend. The cordless phone was neatly wedged between his right ear and right shoulder. Tension pulled tightly through the back of his neck, so he switched the phone and tucked it into the crevice between his right neck and shoulder. He tasted the salad that he was mixing before shuddering slightly.

"Too much vinegar?" Came Graces voice from the other end.

"How did you know I was making salad?"

"I know that shudder. It's different from the 'I am really disgusted' shudder or the 'I just pictured my boss naked' shudder."

By mentioning it, the image of Mr. Stein dancing around naked popped into Will's mind and he released a cringing shudder of revolt.

"Ah, pictured the boss…"

"Grace, shut up. Help me. This is costing me money!"

"Ok, ok. But Will, I can't make these big decisions for you. That's what you do for me!"

"Should I do it?"

Practical silence, besides the sound of breathing lingered down the receiving end of the phone.

"Grace, are you gonna do the best friend thing and make my decision for me, or are you just gonna sit there and give me your best Darth Vader impersonation?"

"Sorry, I was thinking with my mouth open."

"Please. Help. Needed."

"Ok, ok, I despise when you use one word sentences. I am a new woman now. I do not intrude and I do _not _tell people what to do!"

"Grace…"

"I think you should definitely do it. You will never know if you don't." She cut in quickly.

Will sighed loudly, his mind a muddy puddle of outrageous thought.

"I'm gonna do it… This will change everything with…Jack, you know."

"Quit being such a female, Jack's your friend! You have to tell him asap."

"Love.Grace."

"Love."

Will hung up the phone as he thought about what he had to do, he bit his lip. He took one last trial of his salad, and disgusted at the bitter, stinging taste, he dropped the mixing utensils in the bowl and walked off to the bathroom, contemplating what Grace had just told him to do. _I have to talk to Richard…and then…Jack._

* * *

_Whenever I'm alone with you, _

_You make me feel like I am young again_

_Whenever I'm alone with you_

_You make me feel like I am fun again_

"Hey look at us Kare! We are being good people! Maybe we should write articles in the church magazines about how good we are!" Jack announced, his voice muffled through his mouthfuls of chicken sandwich.

"You're right Jackie!" Karen exclaimed with excitement. "I mean how many so-called parents out there take their children out for lunch?"

Josie and Elliot shared the silent thought of how crazy their parents were. They turned to each other and rolled their eyes.

"Hey hey hey! Stop making seductive Angelina Jolie eyes at my boy, missy!" Jack accused the shocked Josie.

Karen poked Elliot in the shoulder with her non-drinking hand. "And you, don't impregnate my kid with your striking looks and your fake brown hair!"

"Uh, I have a girlfriend. And this hair? All real baby." Elliot cleared up.

"He's a little…young for me Jack! I'm seventeen, he's like, what…"

"16." Elliot slotted in.

"Ok, not as young as I thought. I am going to look down right now, poke at my salad and pretend that I am really interested in what's going on in my own head now to make you believe that I am not embarrassed." Josie replied she dug her fork into her salad, avoiding eye contact with the other three members of the table.

Karen suddenly slammed her elbow down on the table and shoved her chin into her palm, supporting her head.

"Men! I can't stand them. I'd rather stand _on _them!" She stated, slumping down further into her position.

"Boy problems? You have come to the right place. We have all dealt with the dreaded boy troubles here…"

Elliot's head shot up as his eyes widened. "Jack I'm not g…"

"Zip it, Chatty." The father said, smoothly gesturing with his hand for the boy to shut his mouth.

"What's your problem, Karen?" Josie questioned.

"It's Rosie, she told me that I have to brush my own teeth and turn my own book pages now. Why does it have to be so hard, Jackie? I know she's doing it for the best, but now it just feels cruel."

Jack reached over and rubbed his friend's back in support.

"If it makes you feel any better, Jimmy hasn't called." Josie complained, also adopting the same dreary pose as her mother.

"Thanks for the nice gesture small fry, but it doesn't quite elevate my mood…wait. I have some small, white, round friends that will!"

"Well I'm fine. No man no cry." Jack stated in a matter-of-factly manner. Josie, Elliot and Karen all made mutual eye contact around the table before breaking down in a roaring laughter.

"Thanks Jack, you really boosted the mood!" Josie snickered.

"That was a good one, poodle. You're fine. You kill me, you know that!"

* * *

_However far away I will always love you _

_However long I stay I will always love you _

_Whatever Words I say I will always love you_

_I will always  
Love you._

Jack peeked around the edge of his apartment open door, his eyes rapidly darting left to right and back again.

"Looking devilishly handsome, smooth and sleek, he seamlessly creeps to the entrance with the precision and elegance of a striking black panther."

Jack scurried across the hallway and over to the door of Will's apartment, in accordance with his own Discovery channel documentary-style voice over.

"He pauses for a second, carefully listening to see if his prey is roaming behind the door. The angered rhinoceros seems to not be stirring in his natural habitat. This is good for the panther, as the rhinoceros cannot tell him off for stealing his bubble bath powder. The panther slowly turns the door knob. It clicks. Ah, the prey has been expecting me – but alas! I cannot hear him moving around. Perhaps he has better things to do than be at home on a Saturday afternoon…impossible!"

Jack pushed Will's door open, screamed and paused briefly in shock. Standing right behind the door was Will, holding a white cloth to the left side of his forehead. Jack's mouth gaped open as he quickly spun around.

"Abort. Abort. Abort!" Jack warned himself aloud as he pivoted and prepared to run back to the safety of his own apartment. Before he had a chance to take his first step, Will grabbed the back of the waistband on Jack's pants and dragged him into the apartment.

"Oh no, the panther has been caught by the sneaky, chubby poacher. He is being dragged off to be killed and…eaten. Panther meat is rare and extraordinarily tasty!"

Will let go of Jack and walked into his kitchen, still dabbing at his forehead with the white cloth. Jack noticed the contrast of the red blood against the white material.

"What's with the attempt at a sympathy vote, Truman?" Jack questioned, collecting the newspaper off Will's coffee table and flipping through it, not particularly interested in the events of the world. _Where's the comics?_

"See the corner of that wall?" Will asked, pointing towards the small hallway of his apartment.

"Yeah?"

"Good. Cause I didn't"

The temptation to giggle took a stranglehold over Jack as he held his waist and cackled at his friend's misfortune. In between fits of laughter, Jack tapped the empty space on the couch next to him.

"Here, come and let me look at it."

"Why, so you can take a photo of it to cheer you up when depressed?"

"Ooh, good idea!" Jack said, standing up. He suddenly became a little more serious. "Sit down, William!"

Will slowly made his way over to the couch, and allowed Jack to peel the cloth away to inspect his forehead. Jack leaned over, his face close to Will's. Will looked upwards and caught the serious concentration in Jack's eyes, provoking an unwanted smile to cross his face.

Jack stepped back and nodded. "You're gonna need a stitch. Lucky for you, the cut is on your thinning hairline, so it's basically hidden. Now I'm just gonna grab the first aid kit from my apa…"

"Wait…you are NOT stitching up my head! Especially you!"

Jack shoved his hand on his hip and angrily tapped his foot. "Excuse me, are we forgetting that I was once a waitress of the medical banquet?"

Within a minute, Jack was out and back in the apartment, clearing up the cut on Will's head.

"Aren't patients supposed to be fixed by nurses they trust?" Will asked.

"Shut up or you're not getting a jelly bean. Ok, I'm going to do the stitch now, and you know that its going to hurt a bit…"

Will nodded a little to show that he understood. As Jack began the stitching, he felt Will's body instantly tense up. Will winced, biting his lip and releasing a tiny squeal as he gripped onto the bottom of Jack's shirt with all his strength to relieve the sharp pain.

"You are such a baby." Jack smirked, flopping down onto the couch next to Will. Will touched the band-aid that his current nurse had placed on his head and stood up.

"Thank you, Jack." He said quietly, as he disappeared into his room for a second, and came back out carrying a cardboard box.

Jack pounced off the couch when he caught a glimpse of the box.

"You're not gonna butcher me and put me in there and dump me in the ocean because I stitched you are you?"

Will smiled. "No…it's uh…Richard asked me to move in with him."

Jack froze. The silent tension between the two men was unbearable for him.

"I think I'd prefer it if you chopped me up into small bits than you moving away."

"Jack…I..."

"That was so meant to stay in my head. Stupid voice, dammit I hate you but adore you at the same time!"

Will looked down, and then quickly back up at Jack. He walked towards Jack and took his hand.

"Bu..."

"Let us know when you have the moving out party. I have a fantastic place for the after after party. Streamers, dancers and strange coloured drinks…and that's just the beginning!" Jack offered quickly, stringing his words together as he wriggled his hand free.

"Listen, Ja…"

Jack quickly pecked Will on the cheek before spinning around and pacing out of the door.

"Jack, where are you going?"

"Work." He said, closing Will's door.

"C'mon, that excuse is as weak as Jessica Simpson's remake of 'These Boots'!" Will yelled to the closed door. He threw the half-full box on the ground, allowing the contents to spill onto the floor.

* * *

_Whenever I'm alone with you _

_You make me feel like I am free again_

_Whenever I'm alone with you _

_You make me feel like I am clean again_

Grace briefly washed her hands and forgot to dry them as she heard Mr. Blake's voice booming on the phone. Wiping her hands on her pants, she opened the bathroom door slightly ajar so she could receive a clearer sound. She could see the blur of his body as he paced up and down the corridor outside the bathroom, holding his phone to his ear.

"Look, Marcus, she has done all that she can do here, I have no reason to keep her here anymore."

_Hey, that's me!_ Grace thought.

"She misses her home, I did this favour for you, and she has done an amazing job, I think you're gonna have to let her know about your involvement."

_Involvement? Wait a second…Marcus…Markus…oh no not…_

"Ok, Leo, I'll let you go. Catch you, buddy."

Grace quietly closed the door and walked over to the enormous bath. As she sat on the edge of the bath, her confusion began to dig at and twist her brain. Feeling like and idiot and not quite knowing why, shifted a little to gain a more comfortable position on the edge of the bath, causing her to fall backwards, grasping for anything to cling to. Her foot hit the tap and as cold water came rushing out she squealed loudly. _Why does he still have to exist?_

The door of the bathroom swung open and Ashton Blake, much like a saviour came rushing in, and helping her up, he switched off the water. He handed the whimpering woman a towel.

"Grace Adler, forget Tornados and Comets, you are the biggest natural disaster to ever happen to mankind!"

* * *

_However far away I will always love you_

_However long I stay I will always love you_

_Whatever Words I say I will always love you_

_I will always Love you_

As he strutted towards his own apartment block, Will thought about his previous discussion with Richard. Christmas ornaments and colours were beginning to sneak themselves into the windows and shelves of shops, and children were beginning to 'count how many sleeps till Santa comes'. The fresh early stages of Winter air nipped at his face and hands as he pulled his coat tighter around himself. He remembered the preceding Christmas, when he had no idea of the events that would unfold over the year, how embittered and alone he was, and how he never pictured that the very next Christmas, he would be making such a huge decision.

As the elevator slowly delivered him to his level, his frustration began to chortle his reminiscent thoughts. The instant that he heard the doors 'ding' and open, he knew that what he had to do was inevitable.

He stalked over to Jack's apartment, and without knocking, he roughly turned the knob and pushed the door with force, allowing it to veer violently open . He took the hand of the shocked Jack and firmly urged him to sit down on the couch.

"Ooh aren't we Mr Butchy McBig-Man today!" Jack teased, preparing to stand up, but being shoved back down by Will.

Will began to pace, backwards and forwards as Jack's eyes never lost contact with the body of his best friend. _I HATE tennis!_

"You are gonna sit down and listen to me!" Will announced angrily. "You, Jack McFarland, are a commitment-phobe. It has taken months of self-analysing, thinking about what I've done wrong, like was I too needy? Did I embarrass you in some way? Did I tape over your favourite TV show? And it occurred to me that it wasn't _me _at all. It's you!"

"Will…"

"Quiet, lady! _YOU _are the reason _why _I have never been able to settle down with anyone! I have a man who loves me, with a daughter who I adore. He doesn't smoke, he doesn't work stupid hours and he understands the beauty behind embroided serviettes. He's not messy, and he has never made me mad. He is perfect. Being with him would have been the life that I have always dreamed of. But then there's you. The messiest, most irresponsible, most irritatingly frustrating person to ever be born. We are constantly at each-other's throats, and I never thought that I would have to make a decision between you and anyone. But I have."

Jack stood up to face Will. Mainly due to the fact that Will's pacing was really annoying him.

"And?"

Will released a loud, defeated sigh and looked at Jack. "It's you, Jack. Dammit, it's always been you, as much as I don't want it to be."

Jack's heart began to beat harder at his chest as he smothered his grin.

"No one gets to me the way you do. I'm sorry I freaked you out when I suggested that we get married, but I guess I always knew it would be this way. I always knew that I'd end up with you…it's a thought that scared me in my sleep, even more than those nightmares I have about spiders singing Celine Dion ballads."

Once again, silence lingered between the two as they stood facing each other. Will was suppressing the urge to vomit with embarrassment at pouring his feelings out.

"Are you done?" Jack questioned softly.

"Uh…"

"Rephrase. You're done. Shut up." He said, pulling his friend into him and gently placing his mouth on Will's. The kiss was instantly deepened, both knowing that this was what they had been both fearing and craving for the past four months, and maybe even since they first met.

Jack pulled away and looked at Will.

"The cardboard box of stuff?"

Will grinned. "It was Richard's things."

* * *

_Thank you guys for sticking with this story, i hope i didn't disappoint!_

_And to my lovely reviewers..._

_**GracieAdler: **Thankyou so so so so so so much love! I'm ecstatic that you still like this, it's relieving that its coming to an end though, because I've been meaning to write the challenge i took up months ago! Thankyou. Take care xx_

_**SkinnyRita: **Here's some of the rest! haha yay! I'm on your alert list! Thank you xx_

_**Queen of The Paperclips: **I wish i could have written a steamy bedroom scene, but I have to keep this story clean due to the rating. Thanks for your review love! xx_

**Next Chapter: **Grace confronts Mr. Blake about Leo, while her three friends prepare for a Christmas without the fourth member of their click. They realise how much they miss Grace.


	22. Christmas Plans Minus One

_Hey guys!_

_Only a two-part chapter left to go. _

_Thanks for sticking with this, love you all, hope you enjoy..._

* * *

Karen completed the grueling task of filing her nails before tapping the file lightly on the desk. She carefully opened one of the drawers and stared at the enormous quantity of nail polish bottles. Different tones of pinks, reds, purples and gold sat neatly in perfect order from darkest to lightest shades. After an agonizing ten minutes of deciding which colour to wear, and finally settling for a bright red, she began to paint her nails.

"Grace, I think that outfit should leave the room, you and I need to have a talk about it…its not appropriate for the human eye."

Silence filled the room. Karen still didn't look up from her nails.

"What is your problem now? Ask me after my next drink, I may slip into that rare caring stage where I laugh with you instead of at you."

Still silence.

Karen began to giggle. "I'm going to lunch!" She said, as she blew on her freshly painted nails to dry them. "See you next week, Red!"

Her eyes darted around the empty office, scanning every corner of every wall.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

_I'll be home for Christmas  
You can count on me  
Please have snow  
And mistletoe  
And presents 'neath the tree_

Grace sat in her office. She smugly leaned back in her swivel chair with a defiant, satisfied smile across her face. She was proud of herself for biting the bullet and facing up to Ashton Blake about the Leo involvement with her stay in England, only to discover that Leo was actuallycurrently _in_ England. Mr. Blake had then organized for Leo to meet her for confrontation. He was due to be there any minute.

_Ah Ha! He's the vulnerable one. There is no possible way I can be the weaker one when I am dressed in this suit and sitting behind this desk. My chair is better than his. Whatever you do, you must look like a knock out when he comes in to show how strong and brilliant you are!_

She hurriedly pulled out her compact mirror and assessed her face and makeup situation.

_Damn, I look hot! Mascara. Good…Hmmm Lipstick. Flawless…and smile…YIKES! There is more lipstick on my teeth than on my lips! _

She vigorously scrubbed her teeth with her finger when she heard a voice fill the room from the doorway.

"I never understood the idea of edible lipstick, I would just get tempted to eat the whole lot."

Grace's body instantly jerked upright, and in a flustered manner, she tried to act as professional as she could (obviously not being extremely successful). In her utter clumsiness, she knocked her jar of pencils over, causing them all to noisily plummet to the floor. She anxiously dived for the floor and proceeded to pick up the fallen items, when Leo bent down and began to help her.

Grace pushed him. "I don't want you help!"

"Ow!" He replied, now sitting on the floor. He continued to help picking up the pencils.

"I said stop helping me! I don't need your help, Leo! I…I am independent…and…"

"Grace?"

"Shut up."

Leo sat back, watching the woman he loved clean up the floor. He found it amusing when she was this frustrated; she had a certain…charm to her. He couldn't help but crack a tiny smile as she stood up and placed the now refilled jar on the desk. She made her way across the room and hovered above the sitting Leo and looked down at him.

"Wow, even in England you're still only a worthy friend for the floor."

Leo rolled his eyes and grabbed Grace's arm, yanking her down. She yelped as she couldn't fight his strength and landed on the floor in front of him.

"There, now we can talk properly." Leo commented, a little more seriously.

Grace fixed her hair and stuck her nose up in the air, attempting to appear graceful and professional. "Good."

"You go first."

Grace's eyes met his, and she felt all of the clever, sarcastic and biting quips she had previously planned crumble away. It was amazing to see a familiar face after nearly five months away, no matter whose face it was. Tears sprung to her eyes, but she viciously battled them away.

"Why are you here? Why do you keep popping up into my life?" She asked pathetically, fighting the urge to whimper.

Leo sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I organised the whole thing."

Graced sadness was suddenly stunned away. She felt her anger slowly return to her body, thus breathing new life into her.

"WHAT!" She yelled. She hit Leo on the arm, causing him to instantly grip the section of his arm that was hit.

"You know, you look tiny, but you really do begin to hurt once that has happened enough."

"I can't believe you." She spat out, standing up and preparing to leave. Leo sprung up from the floor and stopped her in the doorway.

"You're package is looking more and more like a bulls eye to my knee right now…and believe me, I _WILL _go there if I have to!"

"Lucky for me, I'm wearing a cup."

"Don't joke. Not now."

"I'm not."

"Oh."

"I'm actually a teeny bit scared of you." Leo confessed.

Grace squinted her eyes. "You should be."

Grace tried to duck past Leo, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into the room, shutting the door and leaning against it."

"I could put you away for assault!"

"There isn't a mark on you. Listen, Grace…when I saw you at the New Years party, I knew it then. I knew that you needed to get away, to be away from everyone. Once I managed to tuck you into bed, which was a task and a half because it felt like I was carrying a body bag, and because you were singing "Hero" by Mariah Carey in my ear, I called my friend and told him what a great designer you were and he offered to take you on for a few months."

"Huh?"

"I did it all for you Grace."

She looked down at the floor as she tried to analyze and piece together what Leo had just announced. _HE did this?_

"And Dani?" Grace inquired.

"We were never dating, I just wanted to…y'know…make you jealous. It worked, didn't it?" He said, grinning.

"Leo, can I have some time to think to myself please?"

"Sure. But just to let you know, at eight tonight, there will be a cab outside the house, and it will bring you to my favourite café, and we are gonna discuss this over coffee…in a public place…where you can't hit me...and my 'down there' is protected…"

"Bye." She said quietly as her ex-husband nodded with acknowledgement and left the office. Grace walked over to her chair and slumped down to it as she picked up the compact mirror and faced herself once again.

"Professional and independent my ass! What the hell is wrong with you!"

* * *

"Ugh! Shopping is so boring when it's not for yourself!" Jack whined. 

"These presents are from both of us, you can at least pretend to be helpful, Jack!"

The two men were searching through the children's clothing department for an outfit for Joe and Larry's daughter, Hannah. Weaving through the giant herds of people for 6 hours had taken its toll on Will and Jack, as shopping exhaustion began to seep in.

"God, I hate tourists! Especially the ones that aren't American!" Jack suddenly announced. Will pondered the stupidity of the comment and as he continued walking through the aisles of tiny clothing, he couldn't help but begin to feel slightly clucky.

"Ok, here's the game plan." Will said, in a serious tone.

"Will, sports…"

"I know. I can't believe I used that. Ok…the master plan. We split up. Meet back here in 5 minutes, and we tell each other if there is anything worth looking at twice."

"Hey hey hey! I'm not Grace…I don't follow your plans! Although now I know why she comes back from Christmas shopping with you wanting to put her necklace a few notches tighter and hang herself."

"Well, what do you propose we do?"

"We shop together."

"You just don't wanna be seen walking around on your own, right?"

"Do you _know _what that would do to my reputation? These people look up to me."

"And by these people, I'm guessing you mean fellow children." Will snickered.

"I hate you."

"I hate you too."

"Bitch."

Will smiled and briefly caught Jack's hand with his own. Jack rolled his eyes and sighed loudly at the gesture as if bored, so as not to show that he really was grinning like a school girl on the inside. _Keep 'em guessing, McFarland. That-a-boy!_

Will pulled out a little pink dress and held it up. "What do you think about this one? Cute, huh?"

"Are your taste buds dead? Do you have eyes in that enormous, misshaped head of yours at all?"

Will thrust the dress back onto the rack with frustration.

"Ok, I know that little girl clothing is more your thing, I know it's what you always dreamed of wearing when you were little boy, but maybe you should get over that strange complex and help!"

"I think the fuse string on somebody's tampon has been lit."

"Ugh, Jack, that's disgusting. I don't wanna think about the female anatomy any more than I absolutely have to."

Jack walked over to a different clothing rack, in which a little girl was standing in front of it, blocking his way. He bent down and tapped the girl on the shoulder, causing her to spin around.

"Excuse me, can I just get past please?" He asked sweetly.

The little girl looked up at him, and forced out all the cruelness she could into her tiny face before putting her hands on her hips and sticking her nose in the air.

"Mommy says I'm a princess, so I can stand wherever I want. You can't get through. Ha."

Jack was taken aback by the girl's attitude. _Wow, pocket sized Satan! _He crouched down, so that his face was level with hers, in hope of reaching his full intended effect.

"Well, Missy, to the adult world, I am considered a Queen, so I outrank you. Now Scram!"

The girls jaw dropped and her eyes grew extremely wide before she scurried away. Jack smiled proudly to himself as he stepped forward and selected the outfit he had originally had his eye on. He tried to search for Will, but couldn't find him anywhere. Searching through the toy section, he discovered a blue ball that had rolled away from the basket. As he bent over to pick it up, he suddenly heard a voice behind him.

"Hmmm its average, but I'd say it scores about an eight."

Jack spun around, the ball still in his hand.

"Excuse me, but this ass is an eleven and no less!" He defended.

Will grabbed Jack's arm and lead him back to the girls wear section, not allowing time for Jack to put the blue ball back. He still held the little outfit that he had chosen in his hand. Boredom got the better of him as he stuffed the ball under his shirt, appearing pregnant.

"A man did this to me, Oprah!" He stated, adopting the voice of a woman.

Will spun around and looked at him. An admiring smile crossed his face, as he pulled the ball out from under Jack's shirt.

"It's a boy." He said, throwing the ball onto the ground before starting to fix the shirt that the younger man was wearing. He patted Jack on the stomach. "Now you're gonna have to lose all that extra baby weight."

Jack slapped Will's hands away. "You know, there are hundreds…and by hundreds I mean THOUSANDS of other men I could be with right now, I think you are underestimating how lucky you are."

"And there are thousands, and by thousands, I mean MILLIONS of men that wouldn't find you as adorable as I find you." Will said, pecking Jack on the mouth.

Jack assessed the amount of surrounding people. _Will? Public affection? _"I think you'd be surprised…I am quite appealing to the eye. Why are you trying to butter me up? You don't say things like that unless you want something…or you're dying. Are you dying?"

"I just saw Richard…I don't want to have the uncomfortable ex chat…we have to go!"

Jack handed Will the outfit in his hand.

"Well if that's the case…there. I chose it half an hour ago. Let's get out of here!"

* * *

Jack sat on Karen's bed, cross legged. He brushed his hands over the velvet one way, and then the other direction, noticing the changes in shade as the light hit it different ways. 

"He's lost without her Kare! I mean, today, he got this sad look on his face everytime we passed a piece of bad fashion, or a pet shop...I don't know why the pet shop made him sad but it did. I swear he was going to cry when he saw a red headed woman in a Jewish bakery…aka the WHOLE bakery! He's depressing me to fake tears!"

Karen walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it.

"Hmm, I know what you mean, I think she is missing me way too much, I mean I sat in her office today, telling her off about her outfit when I realized that she wasn't there…"

"Uh Karen…that's…"

"It's just a fun story ok? The main point here is that something needs to be done! And fast!"

The two friends nodded at each other.

Jack sprung up onto his knees. "Good Golly Miss Molly… I have it! we need big pieces of paper, bright red markers and matching caps and t shirts with our names on them. We have to design a plan! We are gonna bring Grace Adler back to America!"

* * *

_Thanks to my lovely reviewers..._

_**All4Christ0398: **Thank you so much! I try to keep it as in tune with the show as i can without writing it as a scripting or dialogue fic, so that is very flattering. I'm thrilled this was interesting enough for you to plow through 21 chapters:)_

_**GracieAdler: **Thanks a bunch, love! I thought the Will and Jack fans would like that last bit...it was great fun to write! Your review was so sweet...ta, love. Ha! I already have a fan for and unwritten fic! yay! xx_

_**B-Elanna: **Hope the previous chapter pleased your hopes of a Will and Jack reunion! thankyou so much for reviewing:)_

_**LJStagFlower4e:**Ha! thanks again love! I thought you'd like the Will and Jack bit :) xx_

_**SkinnyRita: **Ah, I love them too...yay! Thanks for reviewing:)_

_**Lizzy: **Aww thanks, I'm gonna blush! Wow, all 21 chapters in one sitting? you must have been there for a while. Oh I would kill for the show to end with a Will and Jack pairing! Thanks a bunch for your sweet words, extremely flattering! xx_

**Next Chapter: **Part 1. It's that time of year...again...


	23. All's Well

_Hey everyone!_

_Apologies for taking FOREVER to update, but I have been doing my finals...got my written drama exam tomorrow...EEK!_

_Just warning you, since i'm concluding this story, that this half and the next half of the final chapter are going to be a little mushy and a bit more serious._

_Sorry if this didn't keep in with what I wrote would be in this chapter...I took a writing curve..._

_Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story, and I love you all!_

_xx_

_

* * *

_

_So this is Christmas  
And what have you done?  
Another year over  
And a new one just begun_

Will sat on his couch, facing his perfectly decorated tree, the tree that he and Jack had worked on together. Of course when Jack had left the apartment, Will altered most of Jack's horrid decorating attempts around, as Will was firmly convinced that the tree _had _to be symmetrically perfect.

He shuddered slightly when he heard the heavy winds outside rattle his apartment window, and pulling his blanket even more tightly around himself, silently cursed himself for being unable to sleep. Suddenly, he heard his door click and Jack's head sneakily poked around the corner before he entered the apartment. Closing the door as silently as he could, he began to tip toe past Will.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Jack's frightened yelp caused Will's body to jerk a little at the unexpected reaction.

"William!" Jack panted, clutching his chest and heading over in the direction of the couch. "What the hell are you? Batman minus the sex appeal? Go to sleep!"

"If you feel like yelling any louder, I have a megaphone under my bed, I'm not sure that the whole of Antarctica could quite make out everything you said."

"Hmm speaking of things that are icy and frigid, how are you?"

"Awake."

"Well I personally don't think that anybody should be awake in the middle of the night unless they are partying, having a _wild_ night with their lover or if they are Karen." Jack's eyes suddenly widened as he pointed an accusing finger at Will. "Angelina Jolie-Pitt! Where is he? There better be clothing under that blanket you're wearing, or you will regret the day you met this bitch!"

Will shook his head as he stared in awe at his boyfriend. _What an idiot! _

"Take some sedatives please, Paranoia." Will joked.

Jack stuck his nose up in the air, preparing to dramatically storm out of the apartment when in natural reflex, Will grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the couch and into the spare space next to him.

"Hey, Jack, can I ask you something?"

"Well I get nothing out of that so no…I don't see that working."

"Why have you been sneaking in here on the nights you don't sleep at my apartment?"

Jack was caught off guard, but he refused to show Will his surprise.

"Because my apartment is as cold as your parents marriage…although your apartment isn't that much better at the moment…" He complained, his teeth uncontrollably chattering together.

Will snaked his arm around Jack, and in doing so, he wrapped the blanket around him as the younger man shuffled closer to receive the full warmth of the blanket they were now sharing.

_You are such a liar, McFarland! You can't get enough of me! _Will thought cockily, smiling to himself.

"Well, good to see that your tubbiness is providing enough warmth for the both of us." Jack stated.

"Well, good to see that I can take this blanket away and kick you out of my apartment, and since I have the power to, I can cut off your heating for good." Warned will

"Did I drink poison? Because I can't breathe. No wait, my breath was just stolen by the most charming man in the world! Has someone been working out? You are looking surprisingly younger, healthy, fit and above all, fabulous…ish!"

As he smirked at Jack's instant attitude change, Will impulsively kissed the top of his lover's head.

Jack suddenly sprung upright as if electrocuted. "What's the time?" He questioned as he grabbed Will's arm, pulled up his sleeve and inspected his watch. "Good golly, Miss Molly! It's nine thirty a.m!"

"What?" Will pulled his arm away and studied his watch. "Well obviously reading the time is another thing I have to add to my list of things to teach you. It can go right behind 'using your inside voice'."

"Well what time is it then? Since you're such a genius…a genius that couldn't figure out how to land the perfect man until he was in his sixties!"

Will sighed, before allowing himself to yawn. "It's three forty a.m….or in Jack language… eight guys past midnight."

Jack grinned at Will, leaned in and swiftly kissed him.

"What was that for?" questioned the surprised recipient of the affectionate action.

"Happy Christmas Eve."

* * *

_And so this is Christmas  
I hope you have fun  
The near and the dear ones  
The old and the young_

_I'mcominghome-I'mcominghome-I'mcominghome _Grace chanted to herself as she resumed arranging herself into as comfortable a position as possible in the private jet that Karen had organised.

_Woah, calm down Grace! Slower pace! _She took a sip of the glass of champagne that was provided for her._ I'm coming home 2…3…I'm coming home…2…3… That-a girl!_

* * *

"Will! As soon as Christmas is over, you are buying new ties…and where have you put all my clothes? This bathroom sucks! We need better lighting in here, pronto!"

Will placed down the newspaper that had previously consumed his attention. _This is what happens when you allow someone to leave their toothbrush at your place!_

He continued to listen to Jack's ramblings, which were in clear earshot from the bathroom.

"Oh, and I'm considering taking up acting again…you know as a side thing from 'Jack Talk'…If Oprah can have a magazine on the side of her career, I can act on the side of mine."

"Oprah can actually call what she does a career…" Will replied.

"…and besides…WILL! Are you listening?"

"Sadly, yes."

"I have discovered what I have needed all along to become a successful actor."

"Talent?"

"Connections."

Will sighed loudly. _Why do I have the sudden desire for him to turn into a piñata so I can have the chance to legally beat him with a stick?_

Jack completed his routine facial cleansing and joined his love at the kitchen table.

"Hey Will, am I…"

"Annoying beyond all reason?"

"No."

"Incredibly frustrating?"

"No, a…"

"Lanky?"

"What! No! If you let me finish I was going to ask you if you thought I was pretty…" Jack sat quietly for a moment before questioning "You think I'm lanky?"

_Yes! _"No. It's just that I…"

Irritation began to create an itch between the two men. "Then why are you so cranky?"

"Jack, believe it or not, when you have another immatureissue about something, the world does in fact, continue to turn. It would be a lot more efficient for everybody if you only complained when you have a serious problem." Will blurted out. He instantly begged God to give him the power to suck his words back in.

"Yeah? Well believe it or not, you _aren't _smarter than everybody, so quit talking down to everyone to make yourself feel significant! The only people you talk to are people that you feel better than."

Both men, now standing, stared at each other in pure astonishment. The same basic thought sprinted through their minds…_Why the hell are we arguing such a stupid argument?_

"Congratulations Jack, you've learnt to speak like an adult… 'significant' is a pretty big word for you."

"Well here's another word, try this one for size: InsecureUnpluckedJerk!"

Will angrily stalked into the kitchen and began to work his rage into washing the dishes. After an awkward silence, Jack finally spoke up.

"…aaaaand this fight is over right about…" He clicked his fingers together. "Now!"

"Ok, yeah sure Sabrina, thanks for making me forget the fact that you think that I make people feel like crap." Will answered before melodramatically throwing his tea towel down and storming out of the door.

"We're taking Elliot to the tree tonight! Lord knows why he wants to go again, all the hotties there are married or taken. Hey, Diva! Where are you going?"

"Anywhere that's not here right now." Came the rushed response as Jack heard the door slam. The noise echoed around the silent apartment.

"I'm lanky?" The younger man asked the empty space before returning to the bathroom to inspect himself in the mirror.

* * *

_A very merry Christmas  
And a happy New Year  
Let's hope it's a good one  
Without any fear_

"Here Karen…I know it's not much, but I thought I'd give it to you anyway." Josie said nervously, holding out the gift she had bought for her mother.As she looked around the mansion, Josie battled the burning tears that began to sting the rims of her eyes, but Karen's intuition allowed her to catch on.

"I'm not really good at reading those emotion things that people make such a hype about, but I think your eyes are leaking and I'm sure that's not good... and besides…Plumber is on leave. Stupid jerk got his wife pregnant…"

Josie hurriedly regained her composure. "I'm fine, I was just crying at how horrible your jacket is."

"Oh honey, flattery? I love ya!" Karen gushed before turning about as serious as she could physically make herself. "Now tell me what's wrong before my frown lines stay this way...you have one minute before my face moves back to unconcerned…its kind of like a rebound action…once stre…"

"My revolting father has cut off supporting me and my mother, so we have to move in with my grandma who smells like tea bags, potpourri and about a hundred years worth of medication."

Karen assessed the information in her mind. "A hundred years worth you say? Where does this delightful angel live?"

"Nowhere near here."

"So that mea…"

Josie cut in, finding herself unable to halt her emotional spillage. _Why now? _"He promised that the moment I turned eighteen, he was gonna cut us off. I mean…my mom works…and now that we don't have enough money for me to go to college, I suppose I'll have to find a job but now we have nowhere to live besides nana's house. I hate my dad so much."

"Wait wait WAIT! that's more information in one minute that I've heard in my whole twenty one years on this earth." Karen said, holding her fingers to her temples.

Josie nodded before quietly muttering "Well, I just came to say goodbye…we're probably leaving tomorrow…Merry Christmas."

The girl gave a nod of acknowledgement to her biological mother before collecting her belongings and exiting the mansion.

* * *

Will shifted in his chair uncomfortably upon the completion of his venting about Jack. He eagerly waited for Michael to respond, to confirm that he was right.

"Will, telling me that Jack is annoying is like saying that you're a control freak. It's a given."

_Ok…not the response I wanted._

"Go on…"

Michael coughed slightly before smiling weakly.

"You two are completely different from one another. You're the ring leader and he's…"

"The screeching monkey?"

"Well yes…"

"It sucks that you're stuck in here for Christmas Eve, Michael. I just wish…"

"You really have to stop worrying about me. _My _monkey will be here in about 20 minutes anyway."

Will jumped up and wrapped his arms around Michael. They remained in their embrace for several comfortable minutes before Michael quietly began to speak again.

"I want to see you finally happy before I…uh..."

"I am happy." Will replied honestly after kissing Michael on the cheek. "Merry Christmas for tomorrow."

* * *

"Hi this is your captain once again. The plane will be landing at approximately five a.m."

Grace's eyes darted around the beautifully furnished aircraft. _Is it truly necessary for the loudspeaker to be used for one passenger only?_

* * *

_And so this is Christmas  
For weak and for strong  
For rich and the poor ones  
The world is so wrong_

"Thanks so much for coming with me, Kare, Will took a dip in the hissy spa and I don't think he's finished yet."

Jack grinned, surfacing the fact that his heart had plummeted when he realized that Will wouldn't be coming to the tree with them. _What a baby! _

"Honey, Wilma never leaves the hissy spa. He's like a fish…can't be out of the water for too long or they die."

_How does she know that? _

Elliot spun around. "Are we done yet?"

"No. turn back around, boy! You're on my time and we are staying here for five more minutes."

"Bu…"

"Want me to make it six?"

Elliot crossed his arms, rolled his eyes and resumed his postion.

"Ooh Jackie, you're kinda sexy when you're all Daddy Macho."

"Really?" The man inquired excitedly, slipping out of his 'macho' state as easily as he slid into it. "I've been working on it for ages. Yay!"

Karen giggled as they both allowed silence to blanket the conversation.

Jack felt a hand quickly feed its way into his.

"See Karen, you _can_ flick on the sentimental switch at Christmas, my classes with you are really paying off!"

He heard a cough next to him that sounded absolutely nothing like Karen, causing him to face the owner of the hand that he was holding.

"Will!"

"Jack…I…"

"I know. You miss your wife…the holidays are rough, So it's a good excuse to pull a Whitney Houston." Jack cut in. He remained holding hands with Will, as memories of standing in practically the same spot doing the same thing the prior Christmas eve flooded his mind.

Will placed his free arm around Karen.

"Whoa! Take it sleazy, Truman! You're my lawyer, not my accountant!"

"He's so boring he might as well be an accountant!" Jack chirped.

"I can see how being sensible with a steady job and income can be considered as boring." Will battled back.

The three friends and the boy stood amongst the crowd of people, bickering and teasing one another. They attempted to combine their energy to fill the place of the fourth friend that was missing from the circle, but knew that they couldn't.

Karen and Jack smiled satisfactorily to themselves, knowing that they had organised one of the best Christmas gifts for Will that they could possibly think of: The return of his best friend.

* * *

_Feel free to flame or review._

_And thanks to my lovely reviewers for the previous chapter..._

_**SkinnyRita: **Sorry! I've tried to keep this story a little clean to line it with the show...My next one will probably have a bit more Will and Jack action! Thanks for reviewing! xx_

_**GracieAdler: **Thankyou so so so so much! I can't really write angst well, so i try to kinda keep it within the realms of the show. Thanks for your review once again love! xx_

_**all4Christ0398: **Thanks! Sorry this installment took so long, my finals are pretty much over now. thanks a bunch for sticking with this story, and for your lovely review. xx_

_**LJStagFlower4e: **Ha! thanks, glad I'm making you laugh! Thanks for reviewing again love! xx_

_**TyeDyeHippy1969: **Wow, thanks! if only Will and Jack would hook up on the show! I have a challenge fic that i'm attempting after this, so hopefully people will like that one too. Thank you so so much for your review! xx_

_**B-Elanna: **Hehe I couldn't NOT see Jack still acting aloof. I'm happy you're loving this...thankyou for reviewing again love! xx_

_**rlturner: **Thankyou very very very much...apologies for the late update. THANKS! xx_

_phew! only one part to go..._

**Next Chapter: **Upon landing, Grace and her 'chaperone' have trouble returning to the apartment. Christmas presents are exchanged,Karen is stuck and doesn't know what to do about her daoughter and mother's financial situation, and Will and Jack organise Christmas dinner, with more bickering.


	24. Ends Well

_Well...this is it guys! My story is finished!_

_I just wanna thank you all for reading and sticking by it!_

_This chapter is quite long, and a little mushy, as all conclusions generally are, but I hope this doesn't disappoint._

_Sundown xx_

_

* * *

_

_And so Happy Christmas  
For black and for white  
For yellow and red ones  
Let's stop all the fight_

The doors to her old, familiar life smoothly glided open as she, packed with about two years worth of luggage (rather that the 5 months she was actually away for) slowly made her way through them and into the airport. She felt herself begin to choke up as she walked through familiar, recognizable turf. Grace tiredly began to scan the heads and signs of the airport for whichever chauffer Karen had organised for her.

_Dear God…Please let him be stunningly handsome, and please let him be the man that I am supposed to spend the rest of my adult life with. I promise I will stop eating chocolate for one week of every month. Please?_

She glanced at all the signs held by suited men, none reading her name until she spotted a man that was covering his sign accidentally with his arm while talking on his cell phone.

_Oh is that him God? You are too good to me…I am going to stop eating chocolate all together!_

She raced her tongue along her teeth to locate any form of food that may be stuck there before grinning and attempting to strut up to the desirable man in a sophisticated manner.

As she was about to reach him, he hung up his cell and held his sign up properly so that it could be read. B.Hoffman.

_What? No! Who is this 'B.Hoffman' and why the hell is she being driven home by my husband?_

As she paused in her tracks, she felt a tap on her shoulder, and, reflexively she spun around, almost colliding with Leo. He held a sign in his hand that contained Karen's scratchy handwriting: Jew Adler.

_Good one God, got me there! You are the best comedian I have ever encountered! _She thought bitterly.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, Grace…here, give us your luggage. Do you want to eat anything before we leave?"

Grace looked up to the roof, imagining that God was there. "Yeah. Chocolate."

* * *

_A very merry Christmas  
And a happy New Year  
Let's hope it's a good one  
Without any fear_

Karen shuffled a little to gain comfortable seating in the back of her limo. There was a strange, very rarely felt string tugging at her heart, trying to drag it down to her stomach. She sipped her morning martini to try to remove the feeling from her body, but was pitifully unsuccessful.

_Karen Walker, what is wrong with you? Now is no time to be weak, Stanley is gonna want his 'Christmas treat' and you need a strong stomach for that!_

When they paused at a stop light, she stared out of the window and giggled at a child that had tripped over. The child's mother then picked the child up and placed it on its feet, ready to walk again.

Karen rolled her eyes.

_Oh Geez! Would you want your sign to me to be any more obvious! This whole 'realizing things' thing would be so much easier if you could just tell Rosario so she could pass it on to me!_

"Driver, hit a left, we have to go somewhere before we go to visit 'Two Gays, Bad Curls and a Piece of a Place."

* * *

_And so this is Christmas  
And what have we done  
Another year over  
And a new one just begun_

"Well, I figured, since you always tease and mock my presents about being as boring as my love life, I thought that I would actually try to give you something that you would love…"

Will mentioned, as he handed the beautifully decorated box over to his lover. Jack's eyes widened as his mind received a series of exciting flashes of what could possibly be inside the box.

"…But since I couldn't get N'sync to reunite, I thought 'meh, forget it…I'll just give him a typical Will Truman gift.''"

Jacks face dropped a little and he shook his head with predictability. Much in the manner of a child, he dropped down and sat cross legged on the floor of his boyfriend's apartment while eagerly tearing open the gift that was now resting on his lap.

The shoe box presented no label or brand, thus causing the gift to appear suspicious. Jack looked up at Will with intrigue and searched his face for any form of clue.

"If this is anything like that crap that you bought your mother, Truman, then we are more over than that disturbingly vomit-like scarf you bought for two bucks from the crazy lady that looks eerily like an older Grace because you think that it looks vintage!"

"Does it hurt?" Will questioned, "To be forever trying to fit about fifteen words too many into the one sentence?"

Jack pondered this for a moment. _There was something that I was doi…_

"Hey! Open the present!" Snapped Will

_Oh that's it! _In a moment of pure suspense, Jack slowly ran his hand over the box before his fingers found the crease of the lid. Both men breathed in silently as Jack threw the lid off the box, screwed up his nose and angled his head upwards to face Will.

"What the hell is this? Bits of paper? What, so my fireplace will never go empty? Or I can make a better present out of Paper-Mache?" Jack sneered as he crossed his arms, much in the same conduct as a child throwing a tantrum.

Will grinned at the fact that Jack had just produced the exact reaction that he was expecting. He kneeled down next to his love and gently pried the box out of his hands.

"If you took a moment outside that erratic mess that you oh-so-loosely call your mind for just one second and actually read what is on these pieces of paper, then maybe you will think a little differently about that Paper-Mache penis you were going to make." Will muttered soothingly.

Jack looked at him. "I wasn't gonna make a pe…"

Will raised his eyebrows.

"…Ok I was gonna make a penis." Jack giggled, before sighing. "Ok, so let's have a look at the present that has a lower budget than late-night TV commercials."

He picked up one of the top pieces of paper, realizing quickly that it was a movie ticket stub.

"Yeah? This is that crappy movie we saw a few months ago! You know the one where those twelve year olds were making out in front of us? So what?"

"Keep digging, Miss Cynical U.S.A…"

Jack obeyed. "Hey! The flier I grabbed from the Green Peace guy who I told off, but didn't blame, for checking me out while I was with my boyfriend!"

Will kissed Jack on the cheek.

"Ok, explanation time now…what's with the box of junk?"

"That box of junk, Jack, contains every ticket stub, every restaurant bill, every bit of paper from anywhere that we've ever been as…a couple."

The younger man couldn't control his confused facial expression. "Good God! Why?"

Will sighed."Because each one contains a memory."

Jack gave his boyfriend a sideways glance as the minutest of smiles began to alter the frown he had tried so hard to maintain.

"In your sappy sentimentality…there is in fact one piece of paper that you forgot, Will."

"I don't think so." Will responded as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a familiar piece of paper: The lipstick contract that Jack had written to break up with him so many months ago. He handed the piece of paper over to Jack, who re-read it. Then, to Will's surprise, his boyfriend tore the contract into pieces and allowed them to fall into the box.

Jack assessed the moment. "This is getting a little too teen-romance flick for me now."

"There's another part to your present…besides the fact that I have once again paid for your gym membership."

Jack watched as Will pulled out a tiny box from his pocket. He felt a familiar tightening in his chest that is only caused by intense fear. _What are you doing? Oh no no no no no no!_

Will flipped the box open, collecting all of Jack's fears in the form of a ring. Jack leaned away from the box, subconsciously thinking that the action might make the box go away.

"Will, ple…"

"This isn't a proposal, Jack. So you can quit giving me the face that Karen pulls when she sees coins. This ring is just an expensive reminder, that no matter how whiney, frustrating, screechy, girly…"

Jack glared at Will icily. "On with it."

"…ditzy or aggravating you are, that I will still be… well, stuck…here for you, every day…all year round."

A moment of silence swept through the apartment as Will anticipated Jack's reaction. The younger man pulled the ring out of the box and flipped it between his fingers, before deciding which one to place it on.

He then felt compelled to spontaneously wrap his arms around the neck of his love as they remained seated on the floor in their comforting embrace.

"I…you know…lo..love you." Jack whispered. "And P.S: You're getting your present later today."

Will nodded. "Sweetie, no one actually _says _'P.S' anymore... it died out with the word 'radical'" He quipped before planting a series of tiny kisses onto the lips of his partner.

* * *

"Of all the sights I saw in London, it's really quite funny to think that all I had to do was stay right here to witness the slowest Taxi driver in the world."

"Grace, relax, you'll get there." Leo reassured. "Also, it's perhaps not considered a good idea to insult the guy who currently holds the steering wheel…and our lives in his sweaty hands."

"Well its not my fault this guy actually sticks to the recommended speed limit!"

"Grace!" Leo whispered, indicating towards the front with his head and eyes.

"I don't think he understands English…he hasn't reacted to anything I've said."

"Just because he has an accent, doesn't mean he can't understand English!"

"You know what Leo? You ju…"

"Can we…not…argue? For once?"

Grace caught a glimpse of her ex husband's genuine pleading facial expression.

_I can't back down! Never!_

"Ok, but in order for that to happen, one of us needs to be either dead or asleep. So I'm going to sleep. Catch you in about three hours when this guy finally decides to get us into our street!" Came Grace's smug reply. Almost victoriously, she turned so that her back was facing Leo and that her head was resting on the door of the taxi. Leo shook his head and watched the lives continuing on outside his window.

* * *

_Ok…Turkey is cooking…desserts are nearly ready…peas need to be done…roast vegetables need, well, roasting…_

"Will!" snapped Jack. "Are you even listening to me?"

A muffled groan of annoyance was stifled within Will's throat as he took a deep breath in, before switching his attention from his mental dinner checklist to his high-maintenance partner.

"Sorry, I couldn't really hear much over that high-pitched buzzing sound coming coincidently from right where you're standing."

"It's Christmas, Will, and there is always one sad old woman sitting alone with three bottles of wine and a self-help book on how to land the perfect hygienic non-dead man. Don't be that woman."

"What do you want Jack? I'm really busy, I honestly swear that I don't wear an apron and oven mitts for kicks."

"This is really hard!"

Will rolled his eyes and turned his head to the ceiling. "Karma, right? For impulsively buying that Russian pillow? I get it!"

"I don't know where everything goes!" Jack complained. Will had assigned him the grueling task of setting the table…for three whole people.

Taking of his mitts and slamming them on the bench, he stalked over to where Jack was holding up a fork and inspecting it. Will snatched the fork out of the unsuspecting hand of his lover.

"Just let me do it ok? You need to go and…and…you have clothes to change, and time to walk around in a circle, and don't think that your hair will blow dry itself!"

"I'm just trying to help you make this dinner great."

Will placed the fork down on the table and took Jack's hands into his own.

"I know, darling…and that's the problem."

Jack yanked his hands away from Will's grasp and hit him. As Will tried to block the forthcoming attack, the apartment door swung open and Karen glided through.

"Ok Christmas fruitcakes, quit jingling each other's bells and serve us some gin. I am trying to get in the Christmas spirit, but I feel kind of light headed."

Jack rushed over to her. "Oh Kare, what's wrong? Open your blouse niiice and wide for me, that a girl. Now say aah!"

"aaaaand you two are now leaving. Go go go go go." Will bantered, ushering the two giggling adults out of the door.

"Well Karen, I think Scrooge wants us to leave now…we know when we are not wanted." Came Jack's melodramatic reaction.

"I could barely handle the ghost of Brain Cells Past, but now I have to deal with the ghost of Liver Failure Future? There is no way that is gonna happen if you two want to eat tonight." Confirmed Will as he put one hand each on the backs of his friends and pushed them out of his door.

* * *

Grace's eyes snapped open only to discover that she had slid across the seat and had now employed Leo's arm as a comforting pillow.

She instantly sat upright and looked over to Leo who was fast asleep. She violently shook him awake.

"Leo! You are so not sleeping…please tell me you haven't been sleeping!"

Leo rubbed his eyes. "No, I was just wondering what New York would look like through closed eyes." He answered groggily.

Grace eagerly analyzed her surroundings. "Oh My God! Taxi! Pull over! We are more than half an hour past my street! Why didn't you stop, driver?"

The driver did as requested. "I don't know Miss…I guess I was just too slow to realize that was your street."

In a split second, Grace had undone her seat belt and pounced forward just as Leo instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist in order to restrain her. He forced her out of the Taxi while he slipped the driver the fee and dragged Grace away.

"Can you please hail another cab? I wanna call Will."

Leo nodded as Grace dialed the usual number on her cell.

"Hello?"

Hearing Will's voice brought a natural smile to her face. _I miss my own bed._

"Will! What are you doing?"

"Uh…playing solitaire."

Grace coughed with disgust. "I wish you wouldn't tell me things like that…It's been forever since I…you know…pla…"

"Grace!" Will cut in. "I mean the actual game solitaire…you know…on the computer?"

"Oh."

"You know, somewhere a gutter is over filling with the mush that's in your mind."

"Merry Christmas, Will."

"Merry Christmas, Grace…I'll see you in a month. I miss you.

Grace smiled. _He knows nothing! _"I miss you too. Bye."

* * *

Will sat, staring at the screen of his laptop, considering which cards to select for further play. _The height of boredom: Playing solitaire on Christmas day because the dinner is all ready. _He briefly considered going to visit Karen and Jack across the hall, but firmly decided against it when he heard their high pitched giggles through the door. Suddenly his phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"William!"

"Yes, Jack?"

"I was just inquiring about the formal time that dinner is to begin."

"Uh…when your nail polish dries?"

"Hey Kare! Will just made a joke!"

"Barf!" Came the distant reply, before she added "Hey Jackie, where do you keep the liquor in this shoebox of a place?"

"Anyway, Will, I was also inquiring about the dress code of tonight's event"

"Dress code? Jack its just at my apartment! Just pick something and get over here."

"Tell me what to wear!"

"Just not your tiny shorts."

"Dammit! Hey…I hear clicking...what are you doing?"

Will shut his lap top, feeling as if he should be doing something more constructive. "I was playing solitaire."

"Ugh! Will that is gross! You should have told me you were feeling lonely!"

"Not _that_. Wow…Society really _is_ losing its innocence!"

* * *

. 

As much as she fought it, Josie couldn't swipe the grin from her face. _Did Karen really do that? _Her mind replayed the moment that occurred hours earlier.

"Mom, I think that's the last of the packing." Josie said to her non-biological mother.

She washed the dust from the boxes off her hands when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Josie, love, can you run and get the door?" Came the yell from the laundry.

Obeying her mother, Josie ran to open the door, only to be shocked when she realized that Karen was standing on the other side of it.

"Karen?"

"Hey hey hey! No need for chit chat, we both know my name. I pulled some strings and…I guess you're stuck here."

Josie screwed up her nose. "Huh?"

"Gosh, I really have to make things simple for the little people don't I? Well ok, I just came to tell you that you never have to worry about your rent or your college fees ever again."

The young girl's eyes widened, her face remaining suspended in pure surprise.

"I don't know what to say besides…thankyou."

Karen gave a sympathetic smile before turning on her heels to leave, only to be pulled into a hug from her daughter.

* * *

_And so Happy Christmas  
I hope you have fun  
The near and the dear one  
The old and the young_

Although surrounded by both his lover, and one of the closest, but craziest friends he will ever have, Will couldn't shake noticing that there was still a missing piece to the composition. _Get a grip of yourself man! First Christmas without the hag!_

"Will, you look heavily sedated, what are you taking these days honey?" Karen asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm listening now."

Jack reached over the table and fixed Will's shirt. "Then smile, frown lines only make you look older. Actually…don't smile cause that makes you look old too…just look neutral babe."

Karen slapped Jack's hand. "Hey! Don't practice that unnatural love in here. If you're gonna do anything, do it all the way! Now tear each others clothes off and get into the Christmas spirit!"

"Ok, sure Karen, want us to wait for you to get a camera? You can be the E-bay queen!" Will replied sarcastically.

Jack choked on his mouthful of potato.

Will held up his wine glass. "Merry Christmas!"

"Not yet, Will."

"Why not, Jack?"

As if on cue, the door to the apartment opened and Leo stood at the door.

Karen and Jack turned to each other. _Where the hell is Grace?_

The two jumped up and ran to Leo. "Yay! Grace is home! England made her look like Leo!" They cheered, hugging him.

Will looked on in amazement. "Leo? Uh, let me fix you another place."

"Can you please fix two placings then?"

"Why? Did you bring a date?" Will spat out bitterly.

"You could say that."

Will shook his head as he stood up. "Look I think there's a bit of a situation here, and its…GRACE!" He pushed past Leo and wrapped his arms around his best friend, slightly picking her up off her feet as he did so.

"Funny how _I'm _the girlfriend, yet I don't find this over-affection bizarre." Jack observed. "It feels a little 'Angelina Jolie and her brother'…you know its wrong, but they just seem so perfect for each other."

"She's scamming in on your man, Jackie."

"Technically I'm the mistress though. They were married long before our affair."

Grace broke her embrace with Will, giving Karen just enough time to smother her with a tight, bone-crushing hug.

"That red-head is your present." Jack said off-handedly to Will. "Enjoy her."

Will laughed and put an arm around Jack. "Thanks." He then addressed his friends. "Shall we continue dinner?"

Everyone followed Will to the table as he set two more placings for the extra guests.

* * *

_A very merry Christmas  
And a happy New Year  
Let's hope it's a good one  
Without any fear_

"I have the funniest story about this shop in London." Grace uttered in the gaps her laughing provided.

"Tomorrow." Came the unison reply from the four other members.

"Can I do it _now, _Jack?"

Jack nodded as Will lifted his glass…again. "Merry Christmas!"

The atmosphere was bright, everyone filled with energy as they clinked glasses. It felt as if Grace had never left them.

"So Grace…what's going on with you and doctor?" questioned Jack.

Grace was shocked. "As if you ask me that while he is sitting next to me!"

"So…are you together?"

"No! well…I dunno."

Leo nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, Will, can I please use your bathroom to avoid an excruciatingly awkward moment?"

"Sure."

As Leo stood up to move, Grace grabbed his arm to pull him back down. "Let's not talk about us now."

"Thank Prada!" Karen said. "I was seriously contemplating digging my way out of here with my fork and perfect teeth."

As they talked, Will sat, his hand comfortably resting in Jack's. This Christmas was dramatically better than the previous year, and also incredibly, unimaginably different. The friends themselves had not changed much at all, but their lives had all taken twists of large significance. Jack and Karen still rained constant mocking banter down onto Will and Grace, and in return, the pair played on the stupidity of the other two. The dinner was natural, and seemed to pick up exactly where Grace and her luggage left off.

"So, tell me ladies" Jack brought up as he sipped his third glass of wine. "What's happening for new years?"

* * *

_Well Thats All, folks!_

_Hope you enjoyed it...I'll be starting a new, shorter story very soon._

_Thank you to all who have reviewed this_

_and thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter:_

_**B-Elanna: **Thanks! I'm glad that you like the other threads besides Will and Jack, because I was trying to make this story not just Will/Jack focused. Thanks for your review! xx_

_**GracieAdler: **Yeah I'm sorry this update took forever, but I just never had the time to finish this! Thank you so so so so so so so much for your sweet words and thanks for sticking with this story! xx_

_**rlturner79: **Finally, I give you...the ending! Thanks for the review love. xx_

_**all4Christ04398: **Thank you times 100 for your lovely review! hehe I'm kinda happy that its over, now i can start new stuff! thanks again! xx_

_**Goldenshadows: **THANK YOU! Thanks for reviewing xx_

_**Sherlockian slytherin: **That means heaps to me that you think i'm writing in character! thank you! xx_

_**TaintedWolf: **One sitting? geez that must have taken a while! Well...sorta in time for xmas. Thanks for the hot chocolate...and the review, and God Bless you too!_

_Take Care Everyone!_

_Sundown xx_


	25. Epilogue

_

* * *

_

_Are you going to live your life standing in the back looking around?  
Are you going to waste your time?  
Got to make a move or you'll miss out  
Someone is going to ask you what it's all about  
Stick around nostalgia won't let you down  
Someone is going to ask you what it's all about  
What are you going to have to say for yourself?_

_---_

_xXxXx Thanks everyone xXxXx_


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